a 


A. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 


Mr»  Norton  slmon 


Of  ftustoru 


Alfred  the  Great 


BY 
JACOB    ABBOTT 

WITH  ENGRAVINUS 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1902 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  forty-nine,  by 

HARPER  &  BKOTHERS, 

in  the  Clark's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


Copyright,  1877,  by  JACOB  ABBOTT. 


PREFACE. 


IT  is  the  object  of  this  series  of  histories  to 
present  a  clear,  distinct,  and  connected  narra- 
tive of  the  lives  of  those  great  personages  who 
have  in  various  ages  of  the  world  made  them- 
selves celebrated  as  leaders  among  mankind, 
and,  by  the  part  they  have  taken  in  the  public 
affairs  of  great  nations,  have  exerted  the  widest 
influence  on  the  history  of  the  human  race. 
The  end  which  the  author  has  had  in  view  is 
twofold :  first,  to  communicate  such  informa- 
tion in  respect  to  the  subjects  of  his  narratives 
as  is  important  for  the  general  reader  to  posesss ; 
and,  secondly,  to  draw  such  moral  lessons  from 
the  events  described  and  the  characters  deline- 
ated as  they  may  legitimately  teach  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  present  age.  Though  written  in  a 
direct  and  simple  style,  they  are  intended  for, 
and  addressed  to,  minds  possessed  of  some  con- 


2217507 


P  B  E  F  A  0  E. 

siderable  degree  of  maturity,  for  such  minds 
only  can  fully  appreciate  the  character  and  ac- 
tion which  exhibits  itself,  as  nearly  all  that  is 
described  in  these  volumes  does,  in  close  com- 
bination with  the^onduct  and  policy  of  govern- 
ments, and  the  great  events  of  international 
history. 


CONTENTS. 


Ch»pt«r  Ptg» 

I.  THE  BRITONS 13 

II.  THE  ANGLO-SAXONS 34 

III.  THE  DANES 57 

iv.  ALFRED'S  EARLY  YEARS 76 

V.    THE    STATE    OF   ENGLAND 94 

vi.  ALFRED'S  ACCESSION  TO  THE   THRONE 115 

VII.    REVERSES 131 

VIII.    THE    SECLUSION 154 

IX.    REASSEMBLING    OF    THE    ARMY 172 

X.    THE    VICTORY    OVER    THE    DANES 190 

XI.    THE    REIGN 209 

XII.    THE    CLOSE    OF    LIFE 227 


ENGRAVINGS. 


Pag* 

WALL  or*  SKVKRUS 31 

SAXON    M1UTARVT    CHIEF 41 

THE    SKA    KINGS 65 

LOTHBROC    AND    HIS    FALCON 103 

ANCIENT   CORONATION    CHAIR 133 

THE    FIRST    BRITISH    FLEET 148 

ALFRED    WATCHING  THE    CAKES 161 

PORTRAIT    OF    ALFRED 208 

HAST'NGS    BESIKGED    IN    THE  CHURCH--                               -  229 


ALFRED  THE   GREAT, 


CHAPTER   L 
T  H  K    BRITONS. 


Alfred  the  founder  of  the  British  monarchy. 

\  LFRED  THE  GREAT  figures  in  history 
•*-*-  as  the  founder,  in  some  sense,  of  the  Brit- 
ish monarchy.  Of  that  long  succession  of  sov- 
ereigns who  have  held  the  scepter  of  that  mon- 
archy, and  whose  government  has  exerted  so 
vast  an  influence  on  the  condition  and  welfare 
of  mankind,  he  was  not,  indeed,  actually  the 
first.  There  were  several  lines  of  insignificant 
princes  before  him,  who  governed  such  portions 
of  the  kingdom  as  they  individually  possessed, 
more  like  semi-savage  chieftains  than  English 
kings.  Alfred  followed  these  by  the  principle 
of  hereditary  right,  and  spent  his  life  in  laying 
broad  and  deep  the  foundations  on  which  the 
enormous  superstructure  of  the  British  empire 
has  since  been  reared.  If  the  tales  respecting 
his  character  and  deeds  which  have  come  down 


14  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [B.C. 800 

Hereditary  fuccewioa.  The  fabulous  age  of  history 

to  us  are  at  all  worthy  of  belief,  he  was  an  hon- 
est, conscientious,  disinterested,  and  far-seeing 
statesman.  If  the  system  of  hereditary  suc- 
cession would  always  furnish  such  sovereigns 
for  mankind,  the  principle  of  loyalty  would  have 
held  its  place  much  longer  in  tne  world  than  it 
is  now  likely  to  do,  and  great  nations,  now  re- 
publican, would  have  been  saved  a  vast  deal  of 
trouble  and  toil  expended  in  the  election  of  theii 
rulers. 

Although  the  period  of  King  Alfred's  reign 
geems  a  very  remote  one  as  we  look  back  to- 
ward it  from  the  present  day,  it  was  still  eight 
hundred  years  after  the  Christian  era  that  he 
ascended  his  throne.  Tolerable  authentic  his- 
tory of  the  British  realm  mounts  up  through 
these  eight  hundred  years  to  the  time  of  Julius 
Caesar.  Beyond  this  the  ground  is  covered  by 
a  series  of  romantic  and  fabulous  tales,  pretend- 
ing to  be  history,  which  extend  back  eight 
hundred  years  further  to  the  days  of  Solomon ; 
•o  that  a  much  longer  portion  of  the  story  of 
khat  extraordinary  island  comes  before  than 
since  the  days  of  Alfred.  In  respect,  however 
to  all  that  pertains  to  the  interest  and  import 
anoe  of  the  narrative,  the  exploits  and  the  ai 
tangements  of  Alfred  are  the  beginning. 


B.C.  800.]          THE  BRITONS.  15 

Tradition.  The  Trojan  war.  Adventures  of  jEneua 

The  histories,  in  fact,  of  all  nations,  ancient 
and  modern,  run  back  always  into  misty  regiona 
of  romance  and  fable.  Before  arts  and  letters 
arrived  at  such  a  state  of  progress  as  that  pub 
lie  events  could  be  recorded  in  writing,  tradi- 
tion was  the  only  means  of  handing  down  the 
memory  of  events  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion ;  and  tradition,  among  semi-savages,  chang- 
es every  thing  it  touches  into  romantic  and 
marvelous  fiction. 

The  stories  connected  with  the  earliest  dis- 
covery and  settlement  of  Great  Britain  afford 
very  good  illustrations  of  the  nature  of  these 
fabulous  tales.  The  following  may  serve  as  a 
specimen : 

At  the  close  of  the  rl  .9  ;  in  war,*  ^Eneas  re- 
tired with  a  company  of  Trojans,  who  escaped 
from  the  city  with  him,  and,  after  a  great  vari- 
ety of  adventures,  which  Virgil  has  related,  he 
landed  and  settled  in  Italy.  Here,  in  process 
of  time,  he  had  a  grandson  named  Silvius,  whr, 
had  a  son  named  Brutus,  Brutus  being  thua 
££neas's  great-grandson. 

One  day,  while  Brutus  was  hunting  in  tht 
forests,  he  accidentally  killed  his  father  with 

•  For  some  account  of  the  circumstances  connected  witi 
this  war  see  our  history  of  Alexander,  chapter  ri. 


16  ALFRED   THE   GREAT.  [B.C.  800 

Wandering*  of  Brnttu  Singular  treaty  of  peace 

an  arrow.  His  father  was  at  that  time  King 
of  Alba — a  region  of  Italy  near  the  spot  on 
which  Rome  was  subsequently  built — and  the 
accident  brought  Brutus  under  suoh  suspicions, 
and  exposed  him  to  such  dangers,  that  he  fled 
from  the  country.  After  various  wanderings 
he  at  last  reached  Greece,  where  he  collected  a 
number  of  Trojan  followers,  whom  he  found 
Coaming  about  the  country,  and  formed  them 
into  an  army.  With  this  half-savage  force  he 
attacked  a  king  of  the  country  named  Pandra- 
sus.  Brutus  was  successful  in  the  war,  and 
Pandrasus  was  taken  prisoner.  This  compel- 
led Pandrasus  to  sue  for  peace,  and  peace  waa 
concluded  on  the  following  very  extraordinary 
terms: 

Pandrasus  was  to  give  Brutus  his  daughter 
Imogena  for  a  wife,  and  a  fleet  of  ships  as  her 
dowry.  Brutus,  on  the  other  hand,  was  to  take 
his  wife  and  all  his  followers  on  board  of  his 
fleet,  and  sail  away  and  seek  a  home  in  som« 
other  quarter  of  the  globe.  This  plan  of  a  mon- 
arch's purchasing  his  own  ransom  and  peace  for 
his  realm  from  a  band  of  roaming  robbers,  by 
offering  the  leader  of  them  his  daughter  for  a 
wife,  however  strange  to  our  ideas,  was  very 
characteristic  of  the  times.  Imogena  must 


B.C. 800.]         THE  BRITONS.  17 

Brutus  lands  on  •  deserted  bland.  Response  of  the  oraclft 

have  found  it  a  hard  alternative  to  choose  be- 
tween such  a  husband  and  such  a  father. 

Brutus,  with  his  fleet  and  his  bride,  betoob 
themselves  to  sea,  and  within  a  short  time 
Landed  on  a  deserted  island,  where  they  found 
the  ruins  of  a  city.  Here  there  was  an  ancient 
temple  of  Diana,  and  an  image  of  the  goddess, 
which  image  was  endued  with  the  power  of  ut- 
tering oracular  responses  to  those  who  consult- 
ed it  with  proper  ceremonies  and  forms.  Bru- 
tus consulted  this  oracle  on  the  question  in 
what  land  he  should  find  a  place  of  final  settle- 
ment. His  address  to  it  was  in  ancient  verse, 
which  some  chronicler  has  turned  into  English 
rhyme  as  follows : 

••  Goddess  of  shide*  and  huntress,  who  at  will 

Walk'st  on  the  rolling  sphere,  and  through  the  deep 
On  thy  third  reign,  the  earth.,  look  now  and  tell 
What  land,  what  seat  of  rest  thou  bidd'st  me  seek  T" 

To  which  the  oracle  returned  the  fo  lowing 
answer: 

"  Far  to  the  west,  in  the  ocean  wide, 
Beyond  the  realm  of  Gaul  a  land  there  lie*— 
Sea-girt  it  lies — where  giants  dwelt  of  old. 
Now  void,  it  fits  thy  people ;  thither  bend 
Thy  course ;  there  shalt  thon  find  a  lasting  home.' 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  this  meant 
Britain.    Brutus,  following  the  directions  which 
24—2 


ALFRED  THE  GREAT.   [B.C.  800 


Brute.  p*o*«*  tSs  Pillars  of  Hercules.  He  land*  in  Britain 

the  oracle  had  given  him,  set  sail  from  the  isl- 
and, and  proceeded  to  the  westward  through  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  He  arrived  at  the  Pillars 
of  Hercules.  This  was  the  name  by  which  the 
Rock  of  Gibraltar  and  the  corresponding  prom- 
ontory on  the  opposite  coast,  across  the  straits, 
were  called  in  those  days ;  these  cliffs  having 
been  built,  according  to  ancient  tales,  by  Her- 
cules, as  monuments  set  up  to  mark  the  ex 
treme  limits  of  his  western  wanderings.  Bru- 
tus passed  through  the  strait,  and  then,  turning 
northward,  coasted  along  the  shores  of  Spain. 

At  length,  after  enduring  great  privations 
and  suffering,  and  encountering  the  extreme 
dangers  to  which  their  frail  barks  were  neces- 
sarily exposed  from  the  surges  which  roll  in 
perpetually  from  the  broad  Atlantic  Ocean  upon 
the  coast  of  Spain  and  into  the  Bay  of  Biscay 
they  arrived  safely  on  the  shores  of  Britain. 
They  landed  and  explored  the  interior.  They 
found  the  island  robed  in  the  richest  drapery  of 
fruitfulness  and  verdure,  but  it  was  unoccupied 
by  any  thing  human.  There  were  wild  beasts 
roaming  in  the  forests,  and  the  remains  of  a 
race  of  giants  in  dens  and  caves — monsters  as 
diverse  from  humanity  as  the  wolves.  Brutus 
and  his  followers  attacked  all  these  occupants 


B.C.800.J          THE  BRITONS.  19 

Giants  and  wild  beasts.  Situation  and  extent  of  Great  Britain. 

of  the  land.  They  drove  the  wild  beasts  into 
the  mountains  of  Scotland  and  Wales,  and  kill- 
ed the  giants.  The  chief  of  them,  whose  name 
was  Gogmagog.  was  hurled  by  one  of  Brutus's 
followers  from  the  summit  of  one  of  the  chalky 
cliffs  which  bound  the  island  into  the  sea. 

The  island  of  Great  Britain  is  in  the  latitude 
of  Labrador,  which  on  our  side  of  the  continent 
is  the  synonym  for  almost  perpetual  ice  and 
snow ;  still  these  wandering  Trojans  found  it  i 
region  of  inexhaustible  verdure,  fruitfulness, 
and  beauty ;  and  as  to  its  extent,  though  often, 
in  modern  times,  called  a  little  island,  they 
found  its  green  fields  and  luxuriant  forests  ex- 
tending very  far  and  wide  over  the  sea.  A 
length  of  nearly  six  hundred  miles  would  seem 
almost  to  merit  the  name  of  continent,  and  the 
dimensions  of  this  detached  outpost  of  the  hab- 
itable surface  of  the  earth  would  never  have 
been  deemed  inconsiderable,  had  it  not  been 
that  the  people,  by  the  greatness  of  their  ex- 
ploits, of  which  the  whole  world  has  been  the 
theater,  have  made  the  physical  dimensions  of 
their  territory  appear  so  small  and  insignificant 
in  comparison.  To  Brutus  and  his  companions 
the  land  appeared  a  world.  It  was  nearly  four 
hundred  miles  in  breadth  at  the  place  where 


20  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [B.C.  800 

Fertility  and  beauty  of  the  Island  Successors  of  Brubu 

they  landed,  and,  wandering  northward,  thej 
found  it  extending,  in  almost  undirninished 
beauty  and  fruitfulness,  further  than  they  had 
the  disposition  to  explore  it.  They  might  havfl 
gone  northward  until  the  twilight  scarcely  dis. 
appeared  in  the  summer  nights,  and  have  found 
the  same  verdure  and  beauty  continuing  to  the 
«md.  There  were  broad  and  undulating  plains 
in  the  southern  regions  of  the  island,  and  in  the 
northern,  green  mountains  and  romantic  glens ; 
but  all,  plains,  valleys,  and  mountains,  were  fer- 
tile and  beautiful,  and  teeming  with  abundant 
sustenance  for  flocks,  for  herds,  and  for  man. 

Brutus  accordingly  established  himself  upon 
the  island  with  all  his  followers,  and  founded  a 
Kingdom  there,  over  which  he  reigned  as  the 
founder  of  a  dynasty.  Endless  tales  are  told  of 
the  lives,  and  exploits,  and  quarrels  of  his  suc- 
cessors down  to  the  time  of  Caesar.  Conflict- 
ing claimants  arose  continually  to  dispute  with 
each  other  for  the  possession  of  power ;  wars 
were  made  by  one  tribe  upon  another ;  cities, 
as  they  were  called — though  probably,  in  fact, 
they  were  only  rude  collections  of  hovels — were 
built,  fortresses  were  founded,  and  rivers  were 
named  from  princes  or  princesses  drowned  ID 
them,  *Ji  accidental  journeys,  or  by  the  violence 


B.C. 800.]         THE  BRITONS.  21 

r«le»  and  legends.  The  itory  of  King  Leax. 

of  rival  claimants  to  their  thrones.  The  pre- 
tended records  contain  a  vast  number  of  le- 
gends, of  very  little  interest  or  value,  as  the 
rpaier  will  readily  admit  when  we  tell  him  that 
Ihe  famous  story  of  King  Lear  is  the  most  en- 
tertaining one  hi  the  whole  collection.  It  is  this : 

There  was  a  king  in  the  line  named  Lear. 
He  founded  the  city  now  called  Leicester.  He 
had  three  daughters,  whose  names  were  Gonil- 
la,  Regana,  and  Cordiella.  Cordiella  was  her 
father's  favorite  child.  He  was,  however,  jeal- 
ous of  the  affections  of  them  all,  and  one  day 
he  called  them  to  bun,  and  asked  them  for  some 
assurance  of  their  love.  The  two  eldest  re- 
eoonded  by  making  the  most  extravagant  prot- 
estations. They  loved  their  father  a  thousand 
times  better  than  their  own  souls.  They  could 
not  express,  they  said,  the  ardor  and  strength 
of  their  attachment,  and  called  Heaven  and 
earth  to  witness  that  these  protestations  were 
•incere. 

Cordiella,  all  this  time,  stood  meekly  and  si- 
lently by,  and  when  her  father  asked  her  how 
it  was  with  her,  she  replied,  "Father,  my  love 
toward  you  is  as  my  duty  bids.  What  can  a 
father  ask,  or  a  daughter  promise  more  ?  They 
who  pretend  beyond  this  only  flatter." 


22  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [B  C.  800. 

Honest  troth  and  empty  professions.      Ingratitude  of  Lear's  daughter* 

The  king,  who  was  old  and  childish,  wai 
much  pleased  with  the  manifestation  of  love  of- 
fered by  Gonilla  and  Regana,  and  thought  that 
the  honest  Cordiella  was  heartless  and  cold 
He  treated  her  with  greater  and  greater  neg- 
lect and  finally  decided  to  leave  her  without 
any  portion  whatever,  while  he  divided  his 
kingdom  between  the  other  two,  having  pre- 
viously married  them  to  princes  of  high  rank. 
Cordiella  was,  however,  at  last  made  choice  of 
for  a  wife  by  a  French  prince,  who,  it  seems, 
knew  better  than  the  old  king  how  much  more 
to  be  relied  upon  was  unpretending  and  honest 
truth  than  empty  and  extravagant  profession 
He  married  the  portionless  Cordiella,  and  took 
her  with  him  to  the  Continent. 

The  old  king  now  having  given  up  his  king- 
dom to  his  eldest  daughters,  they  managed,  by 
artifice  and  maneuvering,  to  get  every  thing 
else  away  from  him,  so  that  he  became  wholly 
dependent  upon  them,  and  had  to  live  witb 
them  by  turns.  This  was  not  all ;  for,  at  the 
instigation  of  their  husbands,  they  put  so  many 
indignities  and  affronts  upon  him,  that  his  life 
at  length  became  an  intolerable  burden,  and 
finally  he  was  compelled  to  leave  the  realm  al- 
together, and  in  his  destitution  and  distress  he 


AD. 63.]  THE  BRITONS.  23 

Julius  Ctesar.  Hi»  conquest  of  Great  Britain. 

wont  for  refuge  and  protection  to  his  rejected 
daughter  Cordiella.  She  received  her  fathei 
with  the  greatest  alacrity  and  affection.  She 
raised  an  army  to  restore  him  to  his  rights,  and 
went  in  person  with  him  to  England  to  assist 
him  in  recovering  them.  She  was  successful. 
The  old  king  took  possession  of  his  throne  again, 
and  reigned  in  peace  for  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  The  story  is  of  itself  nothing  very  re- 
markable, though  Shakspeare  has  immortalized 
it  by  making  it  the  subject  of  one  of  his  trag- 
edies. 

Centuries  passed  away,  and  at  length  the 
great  Julius  Caesar,  who  was  extending  the 
Roman  power  in  every  direction,  made  his  way 
across  the  Channel,  and  landed  in  England. 
The  particulars  of  this  invasion  are  described 
in  our  history  of  Julius  Caesar.  The  Romans 
retained  possession  of  the  island,  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  for  four  hundred  years. 

They  did  not,  however,  hold  it  in  peace  aU 
this  time.  They  became  continually  involved 
in  difficulties  and  contests  with  the  native  Brit- 
ons, who  could  ill  brook  the  oppressions  of  such 
merciless  masters  as  Roman  generals  always 
proved  in  the  provinces  which  they  pretended 
to  govern.  One  of  the  most  formidable  rebell- 


24  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.     [A.D,  63 

Queen  Boadkea.  Her  penon  and  chaf  actei 


ions  that  the  Romans  had  to  encounter  during 
their  disturbed  and  troubled  sway  in  Britain 
was  led  on  by  a  woman.  Her  name  was  Boa- 
dicea.  Boadicea,  like  almost  all  other  heroines, 
was  coarse  and  repulsive  in  appearance.  She 
was  tall  and  masculine  in  form.  The  tones  of 
her  voice  were  harsh,  and  she  had  the  counte- 
nance of  a  savage.  Her  hair  was  yellow.  It 
might  have  been  beautiful  if  it  had  been  neatly 
arranged,  and  had  shaded  a  face  which  possess- 
ed the  gentle  expression  that  belongs  properly 
to  woman.  It  would  then  have  been  called 
golden.  As  it  was,  hanging  loosely  below  her 
waist  and  streaming  in  the  wind,  it  made  the 
wearer  only  look  the  more  frightful.  Still,  Bo- 
adicea was  not  by  any  means  indifferent  to  the 
appearance  she  made  in  the  eyes  of  beholders. 
She  evinced  her  desire  to  make  a  favorable  im- 
pression upon  others,  in  her  own  peculiar  way, 
it  is  true,  but  in  one  which  must  have  been  ef- 
fective, considering  what  sort  of  beholders  they 
were  in  whose  eyes  she  figured.  She  wat 
dressed  in  a  gaudy  coat,  wrought  of  various  col- 
ors, with  a  sort  of  mantle  buttoned  over  it.  She 
wore  a  great  gold  chain  about  her  neck,  and 
held  an  ornamented  spear  in  her  hand.  Thus 
equipped,  she  appeared  at  the  head  of  an  army 


A.D.  63.]  THE  BRITONS.  25 

Death  of  Boadieea.  Final  labjngatton  cf  the  Briton* 

of  a  hundred  thousand  men,  and  gathering  them 
around  her,  she  ascended  a  mound  of  earth  and 
harangued  them — that  is,  as  many  as  could 
stand  within  reach  of  her  voice — arousing  them 
to  sentiments  of  revenge  against  their  hated  op- 
pressors,  and  urging  them  to  the  highest  pitch 
of  determination  and  courage  for  the  approach- 
ing struggle.  Boadicea  had  reason  to  deem  the 
Romans  her  implacable  foes.  They  had  robbed 
her  of  her  treasures,  deprived  her  of  her  king- 
dom, imprisoned  her,  scourged  her,  and  inflict- 
ed the  worst  possible  injuries  upon  her  daugh- 
ters. These  things  had  driven  the  wretched 
mother  to  a  perfect  phrensy  of  hate,  and  arous- 
ed her  to  this  desperate  struggle  for  redress  and 
revenge.  But  all  was  in  vain.  In  encounter- 
ing the  spears  of  Roman  soldiery,  she  was  en- 
countering the  very  hardest  and  sharpest  steel 
that  a  cruel  world  could  furnish.  Her  army 
was  conquered,  and  she  killed  herself  by  taking 
poison  in  her  despair. 

By  struggles  such  as  these  the  contest  be- 
tween the  Romans  and  the  Britons  was  carried 
on  for  many  generations ;  the  Romans  conquer  • 
ing  at  every  trial,  until,  at  length,  the  Britons 
learned  to  submit  without  further  resistance  to 
their  sway.  In  fact,  there  gradually  came  upon 


26  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.200 

The  Picte  and  Scots.  Their  depredation* 

the  stage,  during  the  progress  of  these  centu- 
ries, a  new  power,  acting  as  an  enemy  to  both 
the  Picts  and  Scots ;  hordes  of  lawless  baroa 
rians,  who  inhabited  the  mountains  and  mo* 
rasses  of  Scotland  and  Ireland.  These  terrible 
savages  made  continual  irruptions  into  the 
southern  country  for  plunder,  burning  and  de- 
stroying, as  they  retired,  whatever  they  could 
not  carry  away.  They  lived  in  impregnable 
and  almost  inaccessible  fastnesses,  among  dark 
glens  and  precipitous  mountains,  and  upon 
gloomy  islands  surrounded  by  iron-bound  coasts 
and  stormy  seas.  The  Roman  legions  made 
repeated  attempts  to  hunt  them  out  of  these  re- 
treats, but  with  very  little  success.  At  length 
a  line  of  fortified  posts  was  established  across 
the  island,  near  where  the  boundary  line  now 
lies  between  England  and  Scotland  ;  and  by 
guarding  this  line,  the  Roman  generals  who 
had  charge  of  Britain  attempted  to  protect  the 
inhabitants  of  the  southern  country,  who  had 
learned  at  length  to  submit  peaceably  to  theii 
§way. 

One  of  the  most  memorable  events  which  oc- 
curred during  the  time  that  the  Romans  held 
possession  of  tne  island  of  Britain  was  the  visit 
of  one  of  the  emperors  to  this  northern  extrem- 


A.D.206.]          THE  BRITONS  27 

VUit  of  the  Emperor  Severus.  Hl«  dissolute  ion*. 

ity  of  his  dominions.  The  name  of  this  em- 
peror was  Severus.  He  was  powerful  and  pros- 
perous at  home,  but  his  life  was  embittered  by 
one  great  calamity,  the  dissolute  character  and 
the  perpetual  quarrels  of  his  sons.  To  remove 
them  from  Rome,  where  they  disgraced  both 
themselves  and  their  father  by  their  vicious 
lives,  and  the  ferocious  rivalry  and  hatred  they 
bore  to  each  other,  Severus  planned  an  excur- 
sion to  Britain,  taking  them  with  him,  in  the 
hope  of  turning  their  minds  into  new  channels 
of  thought,  and  awakening  in  them  some  new 
and  nobler  ambition. 

At  the  time  when  Severus  undertook  thi* 
expedition,  he  was  advanced  in  age  and  very 
infirm.  He  suffered  much  from  the  gout,  so 
that  he  was  unable  to  travel  by  any  ordinary 
conveyance,  and  was  borne,  accordingly,  almost 
all  the  way  upon  a  litter.  He  crossed  the  Chan- 
nel with  his  army,  and,  leaving  one  of  his  sons 
in  command  in  the  south  part  of  the  island,  he 
advanced  with  the  other,  at  the  head  of  an  enor- 
mous force,  determined  to  push  boldly  forward 
into  the  heart  of  Scotland,  and  to  bring  the  war 
with  the  Picts  and  Soots  to  an  effectual  end. 

He  met,  however,  with  very  partial  success, 
His  soldiers  became  ei  tangled  in  bogs  and  mo- 


25  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.206 

Ba*e  conduct  of  Baseianus.  His  interview  with  hi*  father 

rasses ;  they  fell  into  ambuscades ;  they  suffer- 
ed every  degree  of  privation  and  hardship  for 
want  of  water  and  of  food,  and  were  continuallj 
antrapped  by  their  enemies  in  situations  where 
they  had  to  fight  in  small  numbers  and  at  a 
great  disadvantage.  Then,  too,  the  aged  and 
feeble  general  was  kept  in  a  continual  fever  of 
anxiety  and  trouble  by  Bassianus,  the  son  whom 
he  had  brought  with  him  to  the  north.  The 
dissoluteness  and  violence  of  his  character  were 
not  changed  by  the  change  of  scene.  He  form- 
ed plots  and  conspiracies  against  his  father's 
authority ;  he  raised  mutinies  in  the  army  ;  he 
headed  riots ;  and  he  was  finally  detected  in  a 
plan  for  actually  assassinating  his  father.  Se- 
verus,  when  he  discovered  this  last  enormity  of 
wickedness,  sent  for  his  son  to  come  to  his  im- 
perial tent.  He  laid  a  naked  sword  before  him, 
and  then,  after  bitterly  reproaching  him  with 
his  undutiful  and  ungrateful  conduct,  he  said, 
"  If  you  wish  to  kill  me,  do  it  now.  Here  I 
§tand,  old,  infirm,  and  helpless.  You  are  young 
and  strong,  and  can  do  it  easily.  I  am  ready 
Strike  the  blow." 

Of  course  Bassianus  shrunk  from  his  father's 
reproaches,  and  went  away  without  commit- 
ting the  crime  to  which  he  was  thus  reproach- 


A..D.206.J          THE  BRITONS.  29 

Pear*  w'th  the  Plcto  and  Soot*.  The  Wall  of  S0r*nu 

fully  invited ;  but  his  character  remained  un- 
changed; and  this  constant  trouble,  added  to 
ail  the  other  difficulties  which  Severus  encoun- 
tered, prevented  his  accomplishing  his  object  of 
thoroughly  conquering  his  northern  foes.  He 
made  a  sort  of  peace  with  them,  and  retiring 
south  to  the  line  of  fortified  posts  which  had 
been  previously  established,  he  determined  to 
make  it  a  fixed  and  certain  boundary  by  build- 
ing upon  it  a  permanent  wall.  He  put  the 
whole  force  of  his  army  upon  the  work,  and  in 
one  or  two  years,  as  is  said,  he  completed  the 
structure.  It  is  known  in  history  as  the  Wall 
of  Severus  ;  and  so  solid,  substantial,  and  per- 
manent was  the  work,  that  the  traces  of  it  have 
not  entirely  disappeared  to  the  present  day. 

The  wall  extended  across  the  island,  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Tyne,  on  the  German  Ocean,  to 
the  Solway  Frith — nearly  seventy  miles.  It 
was  twelve  feet  high,  and  eight  feet  wide.  It 
was  faced  with  substantial  masonry  on  both 
tides,  the  intermediate  space  being  likewise  fill- 
ed in  with  stone.  When  it  crossed  bays  or  mo- 
rasses, piles  were  driven  to  serve  as  a  founda- 
tion. Of  course,  such  a  wall  as  this,  by  itself, 
would  be  no  defense.  It  was  to  be  garrisoned 
by  soldiers,  being  intended,  in  fact,  only  as  a 


40  ALFRED  THE  OR* AT.  (A.D.200 

«t«doni.  Castle*.  Twreto.  Ditch.  Military  road 

means  to  enable  a  smaller  number  of  troops 
than  would  otherwise  be  necessary  to  guard  thn 
line.  For  these  soldiers  there  were  built  groat 
fortresses  at  intervals  along  the  wall,  wherever 
*  situation  was  found  favorable  for  such  struct- 
ures. These  were  called  stations.  The  sta- 
tions were  occupied  by  garrisons  of  troops,  and 
small  towns  of  artificers  and  laborers  soon 
sprung  up  around  them.  Between  the  stations, 
at  smaller  intervals,  were  other  smaller  fortress- 
es called  castles,  intended  as  places  of  defense, 
and  rallying  points  in  case  of  an  attack,  but  not 
for  garrisons  of  any  considerable  number  of 
men.  Then,  between  the  castles,  at  smaller 
intervals  still,  were  turrets,  used  as  watch-tow- 
ers and  posts  for  sentinels.  Thus  the  whole 
Jine  of  the  wall  was  every  where  defended  by 
armed  men.  The  whole  number  thus  employ- 
ed in,  the  defense  of  this  extraordinary  rampart 
was  said  to  be  ten  thousand.  There  was  a 
broad,  deep,  and  continuous  ditch  on  the  north- 
ern side  of  the  wall,  to  make  the  impediment 
still  greater  for  the  enemy,  and  a  spacious  and 
weli-constructed  military  road  on  the  southern 
side,  on  which  troops,  stores,  wagons,  and  bag- 
gage of  every  kind  could  be  readily  transported 
along  the  line,  from  one  end  to  the  other. 


A..D.  435.J          THE  BRITONS.  33 


Decline  of  the  Roman  empire.  Distress  of  the  Krtton*. 

The  wall  was  a  good  defense  as  long  as  Ro- 
man soldiers  remained  to  guard  it.  But  in  pro- 
cess of  time — about  two  centuries  after  Seve- 
rus's  day — the  Roman  empire  itself  began  to 
decline,  even  in  the  very  seat  and  center  of  its 
power ;  and  then,  to  preserve  their  own  capital 
from  destruction,  the  government  were  obliged 
V>  call  their  distant  armies  home.  The  wall 
was  left  to  the  Britons  ;  but  they  could  not  de- 
fend it.  The  Picts  and  Scots,  finding  out  the 
change,  renewed  their  assaults.  They  battered 
down  the  castles ;  they  made  breaches  here  and 
there  in  the  wall ;  they  built  vessels,  and,  pass- 
ing round  by  sea  across  the  mouth  of  the  Sd 
way  Frith  and  of  the  River  Tyne,  they  renew- 
ed  their  old  incursions  for  plunder  and  destruc- 
tion. The  Britons,  in  extreme  distress,  sent 
again  and  again  to  recall  the  Romans  to  their 
aid,  and  they  did,  in  fact,  receive  from  them 
some  occasional  and  temporary  succor.  At 
length,  however,  all  hope  of  help  from  this 
quarter  failed,  and  the  Britons,  finding  their 
condition  desperate,  were  compelled  to  resort  to 
ft  desperate  remedy,  the  nature  of  which  wiL 
be  explained  in  the  next  chapter. 
24—3 


34  ALFRED  THE  IJTRE^T.  [A.D. 449 

Constitutional  and  connate  differences  among  men. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  ANGLO-SAXONS 

AN"Y  one  who  will  look  around  upon  the 
families  of  his  acquaintance  will  observe 
that  family  characteristics  and  resemblances 
prevail  not  only  in  respect  to  stature,  form,  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  and  other  outward  and 
bodily  tokens,  but  also  in  regard  to  the  consti- 
tutional temperaments  and  capacities  of  the 
soul.  Sometimes  we  find  a  group  in  which 
high  intellectual  powers  and  great  energy  of 
action  prevail  for  many  successive  generations, 
and  in  all  the  branches  into  which  the  original 
stock  divides ;  in  other  cases,  the  hereditary 
tendency  is  to  gentleness  and  harmlessness  of 
character,  with  a  full  development  of  all  the 
feelings  and  sensibilities  of  the  soul.  Others, 
again,  exhibit  congenital  tendencies  to  great 
physical  strength  and  hardihood,  and  to  powe« 
•of  muscular  exertion  and  endurance.  These 
differences,  notwithstanding  all  the  exceptions 
and  irregularities  connected  with  them,  are  ob- 
viously, where  thev  exist,  deeply  seated  and 


AD.  449]  THE  ANGLO-SAXONS.  35 

Characteristics  of  nation*.  Fire  great  race* 

permanent.  Tiny  depend  very  slightly  upon 
any  mere  external  causes.  They  have,  on  the 
contrary,  their  foundation  in  some  hidden  prin- 
ciples connected  with  the  origin  of  life,  and 
with  the  mode  of  its  transmission  from  parent 
to  offspring,  which  the  researches  of  philoso- 
phers  have  never  yet  been  able  to  explore. 

These  same  constitutional  and  congenital  pe- 
culiarities which  we  see  developing  themselves 
all  around  us  in  families,  mark,  on  a  greater 
scale,  the  characteristics  of  the  different  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  in  a  degree  much  higher  still, 
the  several  great  and  distinct  races  into  which 
the  whole  human  family  seems  to  be  divided. 
Physiologists  consider  that  there  are  five  of 
these  great  races,  whose  characteristics,  mental 
as  well  as  bodily,  are  distinctly,  strongly,  and 
permanently  marked.  These  characteristics 
descend  by  hereditary  succession  from  father  to 
bon,  and  though  education  and  outward  influ- 
ences may  modify  them,  they  can  not  essen- 
tially change  them.  Compare,  for  examp'e,  the 
Indian  and  the  African  races,  each  of  which  hf  * 
occupied  for  a  thousand  years  a  continent  of 
its  own,  where  they  have  been  exposed  to  the 
same  variety  of  climates,  and  as  far  as  possible 
to  the  same  general  outward  influences. 


36  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.449 

Differences  of  race*.  The  Caucasian* 

entirely  diverse  from  3ach  other  they  are,  not 
only  in  form,  color,  and  other  physical  marks, 
but  in  all  the  tendencies  and  characteristics  of 
the  soul !  One  can  no  more  be  changed  into 
the  other,  than  a  wolf,  by  being  tamed  and  do- 
mesticated, can  be  made  a  dog,  or  a  dog,  by 
being  driven  into  the  forests,  be  transformed 
into  a  tiger.  The  difference  is  still  greater  be- 
tween either  of  these  races  and  the  Caucasian 
race.  This  race  might  probably  be  called  the 
European  race,  were  it  not  that  some  Asiatic 
and  some  African  nations  have  sprung  from  it, 
as  the  Persians,  the  Phoenicians,  the  Egyptians, 
the  Carthaginians,  and,  in  modern  times,  the 
"Turks.  All  the  nations  of  this  race,  whether 
European  or  African,  have  been  distinguished 
by  the  same  physical  marks  in  the  conformation 
of  the  head  and  the  color  of  the  skin,  and  still 
more  by  those  traits  of  character — the  intellect, 
the  energy,  the  spirit  of  determination  and  pride 
— which,  far  from  owing  their  existence  to  out- 
ward circumstances,  have  always,  in  all  ages, 
made  all  outward  circumstances  bend  to  th«ru 
Tnat  there  have  been  some  great  and  noble  spec- 
imens of  humanity  among  the  African  ra«e,  foi 
example,  no  one  can  deny ;  but  that  there  is  a 
marked,  and  fixed,  and  permanent  constitution- 


A.D.  449.1  THE  An  GLO-SAXONS.  37 


Civilization  of  the  Caucasians.  Their  permanency 

al  difference  between  them  and  the  Caucasian 
race  seems  evident  from  this  fact,  that  for  two 
thousand  years  each  has  held  its  own  continent, 
undisturbed,  in  a  great  degree,  by  the  rest  of 
mankind;  and  while,  during  all  this  time,  no 
nation  of  the  one  race  has  risen,  so  far  as  is 
known,  above  the  very  lowest  stage  of  civiliza- 
tion, there  have  been  more  than  fifty  entirely 
distinct  and  independent  civilizations  origina- 
ted and  fully  developed  in  the  other.  For  three 
thousand  years  the  Caucasian  race  have  con- 
tinued, under  all  circumstances,  and  in  every 
variety  of  situation,  to  exhibit  the  same  trait* 
and  the  same  indomitable  prowess.  No  calami 
ties,  however  great — no  desolating  wars,  no  de- 
structive pestilence,  no  wasting  famine,  no  night 
of  darkness,  however  universal  and  gloomy — 
has  ever  been  ab.e  to  keep  them  long  in  degra- 
dation or  barbarism.  There  is  not  now  a  bar- 
barous people  to  be  found  in  the  whole  race,  and 
there  has  not  been  one  for  a  thousand  years. 

Nearly  all  the  great  exploits,  and  achieve- 
ments too,  which  have  signalized  the  history  of 
the  world,  have  been  performed  by  this  branch 
of  the  human  family.  They  have  givon  celeb- 
rity to  every  age  in  which  they  have  lived,  and 
to  every  country  that  they  have  ever  possessed. 


38  ALFKED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 449 

Achievement*  of  the  Caucasians.  Ancient  and  modern  Caucasian! 


by  some  great  deed,  or  discovery,  or  achieve- 
ment,  which  their  intellectual  energies  have  ac- 
complished. As  Egyptians,  they  built  the  Pyr 
amids,  and  reared  enormous  monoliths,  which 
remain  as  perfect  now  as  they  were  when  first 
completed,  thirty  centuries  ago.  As  Phoeni- 
cians, they  constructed  ships,  perfected  naviga- 
tion, and  explored,  without  compass  or  chart, 
every  known  sea.  As  Greeks,  they  modeled 
architectural  embellishments,  and  cut  sculpt- 
ures in  marble,  and  wrote  poems  and  history/ 
which  have  been  ever  since  the  admiration  of 
the  world.  As  Romans,  they  carried  a  com- 
plete and  perfect  military  organization  over  fifty 
nations  and  a  hundred  millions  of  people,  with 
one  supreme  mistress  over  all,  the  ruins  of 
whose  splendid  palaces  and  monuments  have 
not  yet  passed  away.  Thus  has  this  race  gone 
on,  always  distinguishing  itself,  by  energy,  ac- 
tivity, and  intellectual  power,  wherever  it  has 
dwelt,  whatever  language  it  has  spoken,  and  in 
whatever  period  of  the  world  it  has  lived.  It 
has  invented  printing,  and  filled  every  country 
that  it  occupies  with  permanent  records  of  the 
past,  accessible  to  all.  It  has  explored  the 
heavens,  and  reduced  to  precise  and  exact  cal* 
oulations  all  the  complicated  motions  there.  It 


A.D.449.]  THE  ANGLO-SAXONS.  39 

Bubordinato  difference*.  How  accounted  for 

has  ransacked  the  earth,  systematized,  arrang- 
ed, and  classified  the  vast  melange  of  plants, 
•nd  animals,  and  mineral  products  to  be  found 
apon  its  surface.  It  makes  steam  and  falling 
abater  do  more  than  half  the  work  necessary  for 
feeding  and  clothing  the  human  race ;  and  the 
howling  winds  of  the  ocean,  the  very  emblems 
of  resistless  destruction  and  terror,  it  steadily 
employs  in  interchanging  the  products  of  the 
world,  and  bearing  the  means  of  comfort  and 
plenty  to  every  clime. 

The  Caucasian  race  has  thus,  in  all  ages, 
and  in  all  the  varieties  of  condition  in  which 
the  different  branches  of  it  have  been  placed, 
evinced  the  same  great  characteristics,  mark- 
ing the  existence  of  some  innate  and  constant 
constitutional  superiority ;  and  yet,  in  the  dif- 
ferent branches,  subordinate  differences  appear, 
which  are  to  be  accounted  for,  perhaps,  partly 
by  difference  of  circumstances,  and  partly,  per- 
haps, by  similar  constitutional  diversities— di 
versities  by  which  one  branch  is  distinguished 
'rom  other  branches,  as  the  whole  race  is  frorr 
the  ether  races  with  which  we  have  compared 
their..  Among  these  branches,  we,  Anglo-Sax 
ons  ourselves,  claim  for  the  Anglo-Saxons  th« 
•uperiority  over  ill  the  otners 


40  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 449 

The  Anglo- Saxons.  Their  early  qualities 

The  Anglo-Saxons  commenced  their  careei 
as  pirates  and  robbers,  and  as  pirates  and  rob- 
bers of  the  most  desperate  and  dangerous  de- 
scription. In  fact,  the  character  which  the  An- 
glo-Saxons have  obtained  in  modern  times  for 
energy  and  enterprise,  and  for  desperate  daring 
in  their  conflicts  with  foes,  is  no  recent  fame 
The  progenitors  of  the  present  race  were  cele- 
brated every  where,  and  every  where  feared 
and  dreaded,  not  only  in  the  days  of  Alfred,  but 
several  centuries  before.  All  the  historians  of 
those  days  that  speak  of  them  at  all,  describe 
them  as  universaDy  distinguished  above  their 
neighbors  for  their  energy  and  vehemence  of 
character,  their  mental  and  physical  superior- 
•ity,  and  for  the  wild  and  daring  expeditions  to 
which  their  spirit  of  enterprise  and  activity  were 
continually  impelling  them.  They  built  ves- 
sels, in  which  they  boldly  put  forth  on  the  wa- 
ters of  the  German  Ocean  or  of  the  Baltic  Sea 
on  excursions  for  conquest  or  plunder.  Like 
their  present  posterity  on  the  British  isles  and 
on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  they  cared  not,  in 
these  voyages,  whether  it  was  summer  or  win 
ter,  calm  or  storm.  In  fact,  they  sailed  often 
in  tempests  and  storms  by  choice,  so  as  to  aome 
apon  their  enemies  the  more  unexpectedly 


•v/ 


S»\ON  MILITARY  CHIKF 


D.449.]  THE  ANGLO-SAXONS.  43 


Cor  rage  and  enterprise  of  the  Anglo-Saxons.       Their  nautical  exploit*. 

They  would  build  small  vessels,  or  rather  boats, 
of  osiers,  covering  them  with  skins,  and  in 
fleets  of  these  frail  floats  they  would  sally  forth 
among  the  howling  winds  and  foaming  surges 
of  the  German  Ocean.  On  these  expeditions, 
they  all  embarked  as  in  a  common  cause,  and 
felt  a  common  interest.  The  leaders  shared  in 
all  the  toils  and  exposures  of  the  men,  and  the 
men  took  part  in  the  counsels  and  plans  of  the 
leaders.  Their  intelligence  and  activity,  and 
their  resistless  courage  and  ardor,  combined 
with  their  cool  and  calculating  sagacity,  made 
them  successful  in  every  attempt.  If  they 
fought,  they  conquered ;  if  they  pursMed  their 
enemies,  they  were  sure  to  overtake  them ;  if 
they  retreated,  they  were  sure  to  makt  their 
escape.  They  were  clothed  in  a  loose  and  flow- 
ing dress,  and  wore  their  hair  long  and  hang- 
ing about  their  shoulders  '  and  they  had  the 
art,  as  their  descendants  have  now,  of  contriv- 
ing and  fabricating  arms  of  such  superior  con- 
struction and  workmanship,  as  to  give  them, 
on  this  account  alone,  a  great  advantage  ovei 
all  ootemporary  nations.  There  were  two  other 
points  in  which  there  was  a  remarkable  simi- 
larity between  this  parent  stock  in  its  rude,  ear- 
..V  form,  and  the  extended  social  progeny  which 


44  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  449 

Conjugal  fidelity.  Pride  and  love  of  power. 

represents  it  at  the  present  day.  One  was  the 
extreme  strictness*  of  their  ideas  of  conjugal 
fidelity,  and  the  st^rn  ana  rigid  severity  with 
which  ail  violations  of  femalb  virtue  were  judg- 
ed. The  woman  who  violated  her  marriage 
vows  was  compelled  to  aang  herself.  Her  body 
wus  then  burned  in  public,  and  the  accomplice 
3f  her  crime  was  executed  over  the  ashes.  The 
other  point  of  resemblance  net  ween  the  ancient 
Anglo-Saxon?  and  their  modern  descendants 
was  their  indomitable  pride.  They  could  never 
endure  any  thing  like  submission.  Though 
sometimes  .overpowered,  they  were  uever  con- 
quered. Though  taken  prisoners  and  carrie> 
captive,  the  indomitable  soirit  which  animated 
them  could  never  oe  rezJ'v  subdued.  The  Ro- 
mans used  sometime  t,  to  compel  their  prisoners 
to  fight  as  gladiators,  to  make  spectacles  for 
the  amusement  of  the  people  of  the  city.  On 
one  occasion,  thirty  Anglo  -  Saxons,  who  had 
been  taken  captive  and  were  reserved  for  this 
(ate,  strangled  themselves  rather  than  submit 
to  this  indignity.  The  whole  nation  manifest- 
ed on  all  occasions  a  very  unbending  and  un- 
submissive will,  encountering  every  possible 
danger  and  braving  every  conceivable  ill  rath- 
er than  succumb  or  submit  to  any  power  ex- 


A.D.44y.|  THE  ANGLO-SAXONS.  45 


Lending  of  the  Anglo-Saxons.  Commencement  of  English  history 

cept  such  as  they  had  themselves  created  fat 
their  own  ends ;  and  their  descendants,  whetfc 
er  in  England  or  America,  evince  much  the 
§ame  spirit  still. 

It  was  the  landing  of  a  few  boat-loads  of theso 
determined  and  ferocious  barbarians  on  a  small 
island  near  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  which 
constitutes  the  great  event  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Anglo-Saxons  in  England,  which  is  so  celebrat- 
ed in  English  history  as  the  epoch  which  marks 
the  real  and  true  beginning  of  British  great- 
ness and  power.  It  is  true  that  the  history  of 
England  goes  back  beyond  this  period  to  nar- 
rate, as  we  have  done,  the  events  connected 
with  the  contests  of  the  Romans  and  the  abo- 
riginal Britons,  and  the  incursions  and  maraud- 
ings of  the  Picts  and  Scots ;  but  all  these  abo- 
rigines passed  gradually — after  the  arrival  of 
the  Anglo-Saxons  —  off  the  stage.  The  old 
stock  was  wholly  displaced.  The  present  mon- 
archy has  sprung  entirely  from  its  Anglo-Saxon 
o'iginnl ;  so  that  all  which  precedes  the  arrival 
of  this  new  race  is  introductory  and  preliminary, 
like  the  history,  in  this  country,  of  the  native 
American  tribes  before  the  coming  of  the  Eki- 
glish  Pilgrims.  As,  therefore,  the  landing  of 
the  Pilgrims  on  the  Plymc  uth  Rock  marks  the 


46  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.411* 

The  three  ships.  Number  of  adventurers 

true  commencement  of  the  history  of  the  Amer- 
ican Republic,  so  •*  ••  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  ad- 
venturers on  the  island  of  Thanet  represents 
and  marks  the  origin  of  the  British  monarchy. 
The  event  therefore,  stands  as  a  great  and 
conspicuous  landmark,  though  now  dim  and 
distant  in  the  remote  antiquity  in  which  it  oc- 
curred. 

And  yet  the  event,  though  so  wide-reaching 
and  grand  in  its  bearings  and  relations,  and  in 
the  vast  consequences  which  have  flowed  and 
which  still  continue  to  flow  from  it,  was  appa- 
rently a  minute  and  unimportant  circumstance 
at  the  time  when  it  occurred.  There  were  only 
three  vessels  at  the  first  arrival.  Of  their  size 
and  character  the  accounts  vary.  Some  of 
these  accounts  say  they  contained  three  hund- 
red men ;  others  seem  to  state  that  the  number 
which  arrived  at  the  first  landing  was  three 
thousand.  This,  however,  would  seem  impos- 
sible, as  no  three  vessels  built  in  those  days 
could  convey  so  large  a  number.  We  must 
suppose,  therefore,  that  that  number  is  meant 
to  include  those  who  came  at  several  of  the  ear 
lier  expeditions,  and  which  were  grouped  by 
the  historian  together,  or  else  that  several  other 
vessels  or  transports  accompanied  the  three, 


A..D.449.]  THE  ANGLO-»AXONS.  4? 


Vessels  of  the  Anglo-Saxon*.  Hengist  and  Hon* 

which  history  has  specially  commemorated  aa 
the  first  arriving. 

In  fact,  very  little  can  now  be  known  in  re- 
§pect  to  the  form  and  capacity  of  the  vessels  in 
which  these  half-barbarous  navigators  roamed, 
in  those  days,  over  the  British  seas.  Their 
name,  indeed,  has  come  down  to  us,  and  tha* 
is  nearly  all.  They  were  called  cyules;  though 
the  name  is  sometimes  spelled,  in  the  ancient 
chronicles,  ceols,  and  in  other  ways.  They 
were  obviously  vessels  of  considerable  capacity 
and  were  of  such  construction  and  such  strength 
as  to  stand  the  roughest  marine  exposures 
They  were  accustomed  to  brave  fearlessly  ev- 
ery commotion  and  to  encounter  every  danger 
raised  either  by  winter  tempests  or  summer 
gales  in  the  restless  waters  of  the  German 
Ocean. 

The  names  of  the  commanders  who  headed 
the  expedition  which  first  landed  have  been  pre- 
served, and  they  have  acquired,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  a  very  wide  celebrity.  They 
were  Hengist  and  Horsa.  Hengist  and  Horsa 
were  brothers. 

The  place  where  they  landed  was  the  island 

of  Thanet.     Thanet  is  a  tract  of  land  at  the 

nouth  of  the  Thames,  on  the  southern  side ;  a 


48  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 449 

Fhe  place  of  landing.  The  island  of  Thanet 

sort  of  promontory  extending  into  the  sea,  and 
forming  the  cape  at  the  south  side  of  the  estu- 
ary made  by  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  ex- 
treme  point  of  land  is  called  the  North  Fore- 
land  which,  as  it  is  the  point  that  thousands  of 
vessels,  coming  out  of  the  Thames,  have  to 
round  in  proceeding  southward  on  voyages  to 
France,  to  the  Mediterranean,  to  the  Indies, 
and  to  America,  is  very  familiarly  known  to 
navigators  throughout  the  world.  The  island 
of  Thanet,  of  which  this  North  Foi  eland  is  the 
extreme  point,  ought  scarcely  to  be  called  an 
island,  since  it  forms,  in  fact,  a  portion  of  the 
main  land,  being  separated  from  it  only  by  a 
narrow  creek  or  stream,  which  in  former  ages 
indeed,  was  wide  and  navigable,  but  is  now 
nearly  choked  up  and  obliterated  by  the  sands 
and  the  sediment,  which,  after  being  brought 
down  by  the  Thames,  are  driven  into  the  creek 
by  the  surges  of  the  sea. 

In  the  time  of  Hengist  and  Horsa  the  creek 
«ras  so  considerable  that  its  mouth  furnished  a 
sufficient  harbor  for  their  vessels.    They  landed 
at  a  town  called  Ebbs-fleet,  which  is  now,  how 
ever,  at  some  distance  inland. 

There  is  some  uncertainty  in  respect  to  the 
motive  which  led  Hengist  and  Horsa  to  make 


A.D  449.]  THE  ANGLO-SAXCK*.  49 

Objects  of  Hengigt  and  Horsa.  Vortigera. 

their  first  descent  upon  the  English  coast. 
Whether  they  came  on  one  of  their  customary 
piratical  expeditions,  or  were  driven  on  the 
coast  accidentally  by  stress  of  weather,  or  were 
invited  to  come  by  the  British  king,  can  not 
now  be  accurately  ascertained.  Such  parties 
of  Anglo-Saxons  had  undoubtedly  often  landed 
before  under  somewhat  similar  circumstances 
and  then,  after  brief  incursions  into  the  interio- 
had  re-embarked  on  board  their  ships  and  sailed 
away.  In  this  case,  however,  there  was  a  cer- 
tain peculiar  «nd  extraordinary  state  of  things 
in  the  political  condition  of  the  country  in  which 
they  had  landed,  which  resulted  in  first  protract- 
ing their  stay,  and  finally  in  establishing  them 
so  fixedly  and  permanently  in  the  land,  that 
they  and  their  followers  and  descendants  soon 
became  the  entire  masters  of  it.  and  have  re- 
mained in  possession  to  the  present  day.  These 
circumstances  were  as  follows  : 

The  name  of  the  king  of  Britain  at  this  peri- 
od was  Vortigern.  At  the  time  when  the  An- 
glo-Saxons arrived,  he  and  his  government  were 
nearly  overwhelmed  with  the  pressure  of  diffi- 
culty and  danger  arising  from  the  incursions  of 
the  Picts  and  Scots ;  and  Vortigern,  instead  of 
being  aroused  to  redoubled  vigilance  and  energy 
24—4 


50  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.449 


Character  of  Vortigern.       He  seeks  the  aaiiBtancn  of  the  Anglo-Saxon* 

by  the  imminence  of  the  danger,  as  Alfred  aft- 
erward was  in  similar  circumstances,  sank 
down,  as  weak  minds  always  do,  in  despair, 
and  gave  himself  up  to  dissipation  and  vice- 
end  aavoring,  like  depraved  seamen  on  a  wreck, 
tc  drown  his  mental  distress  in  animal  sensa- 
tions of  pleasure.  Such  men  are  ready  to  seek 
relief  or  rescue  from  their  danger  from  any 
quarter  and  at  any  price.  Vortigern,  instead 
of  looking  upon  the  Anglo-Saxon  intruders  as 
new  enemies,  conceived  the  idea  of  appealing 
to  them  for  succor.  He  offered  to  convey  to 
them  a  large  tract  of  territory  in  the  part  of  the 
island  where  they  had  landed,  on  condition  of 
their  aiding  him  in  his  contests  with  his  other 
foes. 

Hengist  and  Horsa  acceded  to  this  proposal. 
They  marched  their  followers  into  battle,  and 
defeated  Vortigern's  enemies.  They  sent  across 
the  sea  to  their  native  land,  and  invited  new  ad- 
venturers to  join  them.  Vortigern  was  greatly 
pleased  with  the  success  of  his  expedient.  The 
Picts  and  Scots  were  driven  back  to  their  fast- 
nesses in  the  remote  mountains  of  the  north, 
and  the  Britons  once  more  possessed  their  land 
in  peace,  by  means  of  the  protection  and  the 
aid  which  their  new  confederates  afforded  them 


AD. 449.]  THE  ANGLO-SAXONS  51 

Increase  of  the  Anglo-Saxon*.  Story  of  Rowena. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Anglo-Saxons  were 
establishing  and  strengthening  themselves  ver^ 
rapidly  in  the  part  of  the  island  which  Vorti« 
gern  had  assigned  them — which  was,  as  the 
reader  will  understand  from  what  has  already 
been  said  in  respect  to  the  place  of  their  land- 
ing, the  southeastern  part — a  region  which  now 
constitutes  the  county  of  Kent.  In  addition, 
too,  to  the  natural  increase  of  their  power  from 
the  increase  of  their  numbers  and  their  military 
force,  Hengist  contrived,  if  the  story  is  true,  to 
swell  his  own  personal  influence  by  means  of  a 
matrimonial  alliance  which  he  had  the  adroit- 
ness to  effect.  He  had  a  daughter  named  Row- 
ena.  She  was  very  beautiful  and  accomplish- 
ed. Hengist  sent  for  her  to  come  to  England 
When  she  had  arrived  he  made  a  sumptuous 
entertainment  for  King  Vortigern,  inviting  al«o 
to  it,  of  course,  many  other  distinguished 
guests.  In  the  midst  of  the  feast,  when  the 
king  was  in  the  state  of  high  excitement  pro- 
duced on  such  temperaments  by  wino  and  con 
vivial  pleasure,  Rowena  came  in  to  offer  him 
more  wine.  Vortigern  was  powerfully  struck, 
as  Hengist  had  anticipated,  with  her  grace  and 
beauty.  Learning  that  she  was  Hengist'a 
daughter,  he  demanded  her  hand.  Hengist  at 


«52  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 449 

Power  of  Hengist  and  Horsa.  Long  contest* 

first  declined,  but,  after  sufficiently  stimulating 
the  monarch's  eagerness  by  his  pretended  oppo- 
sition, he  yielded,  and  the  king  became  the  gen- 
eral's son-in-law.  This  is  the  story  which  some 
of  the  old  chroniclers  tell.  Modern  historians 
are  divided  in  resp^t  to  believing  it.  Some 
think  it  is  fact,  others  fable. 

At  all  events,  the  power  of  Hengist  and  Kor- 
ea gradually  increased,  as  years  passed  on,  until 
the  Britons  began  to  be  alarmed  at  their  grow- 
ing strength  and  multiplying  numbers,  and  to 
fear  lest  these  new  friends  should  prove,  in  the 
end,  more  formidable  than  the  terrible  enemies 
whom  they  had  come  to  expel.  Contentions 
and  then  open  quarrels  began  to  occur,  and  at 
length  both  parties  prepared  for  war.  The  con- 
test which  soon  ensued  was  a  terrible  struggle, 
or  rather  series  of  struggles,  which  continued 
for  two  centuries,  during  which  the  Anglo-Sax- 
ons were  continually  gaining  ground  and  the 
Britons  losing ;  the  mental  and  physica.  supe- 
riority of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  giving  ti»em, 
with  very  few  exceptions,  every  where  and  al- 
waya  the  victory. 

There  were,  occasionally,  intervals  of  peace, 
and  partial  and  temporary  friendliness.  They 
eiscuse  Hengist  of  great  treachery  on  one  of 


A.D.530.]  THK  ANGLO-SAXONS.  53 

Henglst  accused  of  treachery.  Exploits  of  King  Arthur 

these  occasions.  He  invited  his  son-in-law, 
King  Vortigern,  to  a  feast,  with  three  hundred 
of  his  officers,  and  then  fomenting  a  quarrel  at 
the  entertainment,  the  Britons  were  all  killed 
in  the  affray  by  means  of  the  superior  Saxon 
force  which  had  been  provided  for  the  emer- 
gency. Vortigern  himself  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  held  a  captive  until  he  ransomed  himself 
by  ceding  three  whole  provinces  to  his  captor. 
Hengist  justified  this  demand  by  throwing  the 
responsibility  of  the  feud  upon  his  guests  ;  and 
it  is  not,  in  fact,  at  all  improbable  that  ther 
deserved  their  share  of  the  condemnation. 

The  famous  King  Arthur,  whose  Knights  of 
the  Round  Table  have  been  so  celebrated  ic 
ballads  and  tales,  lived  and  flourished  during 
these  wars  between  the  Saxons  and  the  Britons. 
He  was  a  king  of  the  Britons,  and  performed 
wonderful  exploits  of  strength  and  valor.  He 
was  of  prodigious  size  and  muscular  pow^r,  and 
of  undaunted  bravery.  He  slew  giant?,  de- 
stroyed the  most  ferocious  wild  beasts,  gained 
very  splendid  victories  in  the  battles  that  he 
fought,  made  long  expeditions  into  foreign  coun- 
tries, having  once  gone  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Je- 
rusalem to  obtain  the  Holy  Cross.  His  wife 
was  a  beautiful  lady,  the  daughter  of  a  chieftain 


54  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  530 

Death  of  Arthur.  His  contest*  with  the  Saxon* 

of  Cornwall.  Her  name  was  Guenever.*  On 
his  return  from  one  of  his  distant  expeditions, 
he  found  that  his  nephew.  Medrawd,  had  won 
ner  affections  while  he  was  gone,  and  a  combat 
ensued  in  consequence  between  him  and  Me 
drawd.  The  combat  took  place  on  the  coast  of 
Cornwall.  Both  parties  fell.  Arthur  was  mor 
tally  wounded.  They  took  him  from  the  field 
into  a  boat,  and  carried  him  along  the  coast  till 
they  came  to  a  river.  They  ascended  the  river 
till  they  came  to  the  town  of  Glastonbury. 
They  committed  the  still  breathing  body  to  the 
care  of  faithful  friends  there ;  but  the  mortal 
blow  had  been  given.  The  great  hero  died,  and 
they  buried  his  body  in  the  Glastonbury  church- 
yard, very  deep  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  in  order  to  place  it  as  effectually  as 
possible  beyond  the  reach  of  Saxon  rage  and 
vengeance.  Arthur  had  been  a  deadly  and  im- 
placable foe  to  the  Saxons.  He  had  fought 
twelve  great  pitched  battles  with  them,  in  every 
one  of  which  he  had  gained  the  victory  In  one 
of  these  battles  he  had  slain,  according  to  Uie 
traditional  tale,  four  hundred  and  seventy  men, 
in  one  day,  with  his  own  hand. 

Five  hundred  years  after  his  death,  King 

*  Spelled  sometimes  Gwenlyfar  and  Ginevra 


A.D. 530.J  THE  ANGLO-SAXONS.  55 

King  Arthur's  grave.  DiBin  torment  of  his  body 

Henry  the  Second,  having  heard  from  an  an. 
oient  British  bard  that  Arthur's  body  lay  inter- 
red in  the  Abbey  of  Glastonbury,  and  that  the 
spot  was  marked  by  some  small  pyramids  erect- 
sd  near  it.  and  that  the  body  would  be  found  in 
a  rude  coffin  made  of  a  hollowed  oak,  ordered 
search  to  be  made.  The  ballads  and  tales 
which  had  been  then,  for  several  centuries,  cir- 
culating throughout  England,  narrating  and 
praising  King  Arthur's  exploits,  had  given  him 
so  wide  a  fame,  that  great  interest  was  felt  in 
the  recovery  and  the  identification  of  his  re- 
mains. The  searchers  found  the  pyramids  in 
the  cemetery  of  the  abbey.  They  dug  between 
them,  and  came  at  length  to  a  stone.  Beneath 
this  stone  was  a  leaden  cross,  with  the  inscrip- 
tion in  Latin,  "  HERE  LIES  BURIED  THE  BODY  OP 
GREAT  KING  ARTHUR."  Going  down  still  below 
this,  they  came  at  length,  at  the  depth  of  six- 
teen feet  from  the  surface,  to  a  great  comn, 
made  of  the  trunk  of  an  oak  tree,  and  within  it 
was  a  hdman  skeleton  of  unusual  size.  The 
skull  was  very  large,  and  showed  marks  of  ten 
wounds.  Nine  of  them  were  closed  by  concre- 
tions of  the  bone,  indicating  that  the  wounds  by 
which  those  contusions  or  fracture?  had  been 
made  had  been  healed  while  life  continued 


56  A JUF RED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D  530 

Bonei  of  Arthur's  wife.  Historic  doubt* 

The  tenth  fracture  remained  in  a  condition 
which  showed  that  that  had  been  the  mortal 
Around. 

The  bones  of  Arthur's  wife  were  found  near 
those  of  her  husband.  The  hair  was  apparent- 
ly perfect  when  found,  having  all  the  freshness 
and  beauty  of  life ;  but  a  monk  of  the  abbey, 
who  was  present  at  the  disinterment,  touched 
it  and  it  crumbled  to  dust. 

Such  are  the  tales  which  the  old  chronicles 
tell  of  the  good  King  Arthur,  the  last  and  great- 
est representative  of  the  power  of  the  ancient 
British  aborigines.  It  is  a  curious  illustration 
of  the  uncertainty  which  attends  all  the  early 
records  of  national  history,  that,  notwithstand- 
ing all  the  above  particularity  respecting  the 
jife  and  death  of  Arthur,  it  is  a  serious  matter 
of  dispute  among  the  learned  in  modern  times 
whether  any  such  person  ever  lived. 


A.D. 450-850.]   THE  DANES.  57 

Final  fubjugation  of  the  Briton*.  The  Saxon  Heptarcfcf 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  DANES. 

fllHE  landing  of  Hengist  and  Horsa,  the  first 
-*•  of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  took  place  in  the  year 
449,  according  to  the  commonly  received  chro- 
nology. It  was  more  than  two  hundred  years 
after  this  before  the  Britons  were  entirely  sub- 
dued, and  the  Saxon  authority  established 
throughout  the  island,  unquestioned  and  su- 
preme. One  or  two  centuries  more  passed 
away,  and  then  the  Anglo-Saxons  had,  in  their 
turn,  to  resist  a  new  horde  of  invaders,  who 
came,  as  they  themselves  had  done,  across  the 
German  Ocean.  These  new  invaders  were  the 
Danes. 

The  Saxons  were  not  united  under  one  gen- 
eral government  when  they  came  finally  to  get 
settled  in  their  civil  polity.  The  English  ter- 
ritory was  divided,  on  the  contrary,  into  seven 
or  eight  separate  kingdoms.  These  kingdoms 
were  ruled  by  as  many  separate  dynasties,  or 
lines  of  kings.  They  were  connected  with  each 
other  by  friendly  relations  and  alliances,  mor« 


«58      ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 45O-850. 

Boldness  and  energy  of  the  Saxons.  Story  of  a  Saxci  princeM 

or  less  intimate,  the  whole  system  being  known 
in  history  by  the  name  of  the  Saxon  Heptarchy 

The  princes  of  these  various  dynasties  show- 
ed  in  their  dealings  with  one  another,  and  in 
their  relations  with  foreign  powers,  the  same 
characteristics  of  boldness  and  energy  as  had 
always  marked  the  action  of  the  race..  Even 
the  queens  and  princesses  evinced,  by  their 
courage  and  decision,  that  Anglo-Saxon  blood 
lost  nothing  of  its  inherent  qualities  by  flowing 
in  female  veins. 

For  example,  a  very  extraordinary  story  is 
told  of  one  of  these  Saxon  princesses.  A  cer- 
tain king  upon  the  Continent,  whose  dominions 
lay  between  the  Rhine  and  the  German  Ocean, 
had  proposed  for  her  hand  in  behalf  of  his  son, 
whose  name  was  Radiger.  The  consent  of  the 
princess  was  given,  and  the  contract  closed. 
The  king  himself  soon  afterward  died,  but  be- 
fore he  died  he  changed  his  mind  in  respect  to 
the  marriage  of  his  son.  It  seems  that  he  had 
himself  married  a  second  wife,  the  daughter  of 
a  king  of  the  Franks,  a  powerful  continental 
people ;  and  as,  in  consequence  of  his  own  ap- 
proaching death,  his  son  would  come  unexpect- 
edly into  possession  of  the  throne,  and  would 
need  immediately  all  the  support  which  a  pow 


A.D.  450-850.]  THE  DANES.  59 

Faithlessness  of  Radiger.  Indignation  of  the  princess 

erful  alliance  could  give  him,  he  recommended 
to  him  to  give  up  the  Saxon  princess,  and  con- 
nect himself,  instead,  with  the  Franks,  as  he 
himself  had  done.  The  prince  entered  into 
these  views;  his  father  died,  and  he  immedi- 
ately afterward  married  his  father's  youthful 
widow — his  own  step-mother — a  union  which, 
however  monstrous  it  would  be  regarded  in  our 
day,  seems  not  to  have  been  considered  any 
thing  very  extraordinary  then. 

The  Anglo-Saxon  princess  was  very  indig- 
nant at  this  violation  of  his  plighted  faith  on 
the  part  of  her  suitor.  She  raised  an  army  and 
equipped  a  fleet,  and  set  sail  with  the  force 
which  she  had  thus  assembled  across  the  Ger- 
man Ocean,  to  call  the  faithless  Radiger  to  ac- 
count. Her  fleet  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
Rhine,  and  her  troops  landed,  herself  at  the 
head  of  them.  She  then  divided  her  army  into 
two  portions,  keeping  one  division  as  a  guard 
for  herself  at  her  own  encampment,  which  eb"* 
sstablished  near  the  place  of  her  landing,  while 
she  sent  the  other  portion  to  seek  and  attack 
Radiger,  who  was,  in  the  mean  time,  assem- 
bling his  forces,  in  a  state  of  great  alarm  at  this 
sudden  and  unexpected  danger. 

In  due  time  this  division  returned,  reporting 


60       ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [AJX 450--550 

Radiger  a  prisoner.  He  marries  the  princes* 

that  they  had  met  and  encountered  Radiger, 
and  had  entirely  defeated  him.  They  came 
back  triumphing  in  their  victory,  considering 
evidently,  that  the  faithless  lover  had  been  well 
punished  for  his  offense.  The  princess,  how- 
ever,  instead  of  sharing  in  their  satisfaction, 
ordered  them  to  make  a  new  incursion  into  the 
interior,  and  not  to  return  without  bringing 
Radiger  with  them  as  their  prisoner.  They 
did  so ;  and  after  hunting  the  defeated  and  dis- 
tressed king  from  place  to  place,  they  succeed- 
ed, at  last,  in  seizing  him  in  a  wood,  and 
brought  him  in  to  the  princess's  encampment 
He  began  to  plead  for  his  life,  and  to  make  ex- 
cuses for  the  violation  of  his  contract  by  urging 
the  necessities  of  his  situation  and  his  father's 
dying  commands.  The  princess  said  she  was 
ready  to  forgive  him  if  he  would  now  dismiss 
her  rival  and  fulfill  his  obligations  to  her.  Rad- 
iger yielded  to  this  demand ;  he  repudiated  his 
Frank  wife,  and  married  the  Anglo-Saxon  lady 
in  her  stead. 

Though  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  continued  thus 
to  evince  in  all  their  transactions  the  same  ex- 
traordinary  spirit  and  energy,  and  met  gener« 
ally  with  the  same  success  that  had  character- 
ized them  at  the  beginning,  they  seemed  a* 


A.D.  450-850.]  THE  DANES.  61 

The  Danes.  Their  habits  and  character 

length  to  find  their  equals  in  the  Danes.  These 
Danes,  however,  though  generally  designated 
by  that  appellation  in  history,  were  not  exclu- 
sively the  natives  of  Denmark.  They  came 
from  all  the  shores  of  the  Northern  and  Baltic 
Seas.  In  fact,  they  inhabited  the  sea  rathei 
than  the  land.  They  were  a  race  of  bold  and 
tierce  naval  adventurers,  as  the  Anglo-Saxons 
themselves  had  been  two  centuries  before. 
Most  extraordinary  accounts  are  given  of  their 
hardihood,  and  of  their  fierce  and  predatory 
habits.  They  haunted  the  bays  along  the  coasts 
of  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  the  islands  which 
tncumber  the  entrance  to  the  Baltic  Sea.  They 
were  banded  together  in  great  hordes,  each  rul- 
ed by  a  chieftain,  who  was  called  a  sea  king, 
because  his  dominions  scarcely  extended  at  all 
to  the  land.  His  possessions,  his  power,  his 
subjects  pertained  all  to  the  sea.  It  is  true 
they  built  or  bought  their  vessels  on  the  shore, 
and  they  sought  shelter  among  the  islands  and 
in  the  bays  in  tempests  and  storms ;  but  they 
prided  themselves  in  never  dwelling  in  houses. 
or  sharing,  in  any  way,  the  comforts  or  enjoy- 
ments of  the  land.  They  made  excursions  ev- 
ery where  for  conquest  and  plunder,  and  were 
proud  of  thair  successful  deeds  of  violence  and 


62       ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.450-8oO 

Piratical  habits  of  the  Danes.  Younger  song  of  noble* 

wrong.  It  was  honorable  to  enter  into  theii 
service.  Chieftains  and  nobles  who  dwelt  upon 
the  land  sent  their  sons  to  acquire  greatness, 
and  wealth,  and  fame  by  joining  these  piratical 
gangs,  just  as  high-minded  military  or  naval 
officers,  in  modern  times,  would  enter  into  the 
service  of  an  honorable  government  abroad. 

Besides  the  great  leaders  of  the  most  power 
ful  of  these  bands,  there  was  an  infinite  num- 
ber of  petty  chieftains,  who  commanded  single 
ships  or  small  detached  squadrons.  These  were 
generally  the  younger  sons  of  sovereigns  or 
chieftains  who  lived  upon  the  land,  the  elder 
brothers  remaining  at  home  to  inherit  the 
throne  or  the  paternal  inheritance.  It  was  dis- 
creditable then,  as  it  is  now  in  Europe,  for  anv 
branches  of  families  of  the  higher  class  to  en- 
gage in  any  pursuit  of  honorable  industry 
They  could  plunder  and  kill  without  dishonor, 
but  they  could  not  toil.  To  rob  and  murder 
was  glory;  to  do  good  or  to  be  useful  in  any 
way  was  disgrace. 

These  younger  sons  went  to  sea  at  a  very 
tjarly  age  too.  They  were  sent  often  at  twelve, 
that  they  might  become  early  habituated  to  the 
exposures  and  dangers  of  their  dreadful  com- 
bats, and  of  the  wintery  storms,  and  inured  te 


A.P.  450-850.]  THE  DANES.  63 

Piratical  excursions.  Booty  and  ipoil 

the  athletic  exertions  which  the  sea  rigorously 
exacts  of  all  who  venture  within  her  dominion. 
When  they  returned  they  were  received  with 
consideration  and  honor,  or  with  neglect  and 
disgrace,  according  as  they  were  more  or  less 
laden  with  booty  and  spoil.  In  the  summer 
months  the  land  kings  themselves  would  organ- 
ize and  equip  naval  armaments  for  similar  ex- 
peditions. They  would  cruise  along  the  coasts 
of  the  sea,  t^  land  where  they  found  an  un- 
guarded point,  and  sack  a  town  or  burn  a  cas- 
tle, seize  treasures,  capture  men  and  make  them 
slaves,  kidnap  women,  and  sometimes  destroy 
helpless  children  with  their  spears  in  a  mannei 
too  barbarous  and  horrid  to  be  described.  On 
returning  to  their  homes,  they  would  perhaps 
find  their  own  castles  burned  and  their  own 
dwellings  roofless,  from  the  visit  of  some  sim 
ilar  horde.  ' 

Thus  the  seas  of  western  Europe  were  cov- 
ered in  those  days,  aa  they  are  now,  with  fleets 
of  shipping ;  though,  instead  of  being  engaged, 
is  now,  in  the  quiet  and  peaceful  pursuits  of 
commerce,  freighted  with  merchandise,  manned 
with  harmless  seamen,  and  welcome  wherevei 
they  come,  they  were  then  loaded  only  with 
ammunition  and  arms,  and  crowded  with  fierc* 


64      ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 450-850 

IHgnar  Lodbrog.  Harald  Defeat  of  Ragnar 

fcnd  reckless  robbers,  the  objects  of  universa 
detestation  and  terror. 

One  of  the  first  of  these  sea  kings  whc  ao 
quired  sufficient  individual  distinction  to  be 
personally  remembered  in  history  has  given  a 
•ort  of  immortality,  by  his  exploits,  to  the  very 
rude  name  of  Ragnar  Lodbrog,  and  his  charac- 
ter was  as  rude  as  his  name. 

Ragnar's  father  was  a  prince  of  Norway. 
He  married,  however,  a  Danish  princess,  and 
thus  Ragnar  acquired  a  sort  of  hereditary  right 
to  a  Danish  kingdom — the  territory  including 
various  islands  and  promontories  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  Baltic  Sea.  There  was,  however, 
a  competitor  for  this  power,  named  Harald. 
The  Franks  made  common  cause  with  Harald, 
Ragnar  was  defeated  and  driven  away  from  the 
land.  Though  defeated,  however,  he  was  not 
subdued.  He  organized  a  naval  force,  and 
made  himself  a  sea  king.  His  operations  on 
the  stormy  element  of  the  seas  were  conducted 
with  so  much  decision  and  energy,  and  at  th 
same  time  with  so  much  system  and  plan,  thut 
his  power  rapidly  extended.  He  brought  the 
other  sea  kings  under  his  control,  and  establish- 
ed quite  a  maritime  empire.  HJ  made  more 
more  distant  excursions,  and  at  last,  in  or- 


24—5 


AX  430-850.J  THE  DANES.  67 

Ragnar  invades  Prance.  Incursion*  into  Spain. 

der  to  avenge  himself  upon  the  Franks  for  their 
interposition  in  behalf  of  his  enemy  at  home, 
no  passed  through  the  Straits  of  Dover,  anci 
thence  down  the  English  Channel  to  the  mouth 
af  the  Seine.  He  ascended  this  river  to  Rouen, 
and  there  landed,  spreading  throughout  the 
country  the  utmost  terror  and  dismay.  From 
Rouen  he  marched  to  Paris,  finding  no  force 
able  to  resist  him  on  his  way,  or  to  defend  the 
capital.  His  troops  destroyed  the  monastery 
of  St.  Germain's,  near  the  city,  and  then  the 
King  of  the  Franks,  finding  himself  at  their 
mercy,  bought  them  off  by  paying  a  large  sum 
of  money.  With  this  money  and  the  other 
booty  which  they  had  acquired,  Ragnar  and  his 
horde  now  returned  to  their  ships  at  Rouen,  and 
sailed  away  again  toward  their  usual  haunts 
among  the  bays  and  islands  of  the  Baltic  Sea. 
This  exploit,  of  course,  gave  Ragnar  Lod- 
brog's  barbarous  name  a  very  wide  celebrity. 
It  tended,  too,  greatly  to  increase  and  establish 
his  power.  He  afterward  made  similar  incur- 
sions into  Spain,  and  finally  grew  bold  enough 
to  biive  the  Anglo-Saxons  themselves  on  the 
green  island  of  Britain,  as  the  Anglo-Saxons 
had  themselves  braved  the  aboriginal  inhabit- 
ants two  or  three  centuries  before.  But  Rag* 


fiH      ALFRKD  THE  GRKAT.  [  A.  D.  450-800 

Ragnar'*  descent  upon  England.  He  loses  his  ship* 

nar  seems  to  have  found  the  Anglo-Saxon 
swords  and  spears  which  he  advanced  to  en- 
counter  on  landing  in  England  much  more  for* 
midable  than  those  which  were  raised  against 
him  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Channel.  He 
was  destroyed  in  the  contest.  The  circum- 
stances were  as  follows ; 

In  making  his  preparations  for  a  descent 
opon  the  English  coast,  he  prepared  for  a  very 
determined  contest,  knowing  well  the  characte* 
of  the  foes  with  whom  he  would  have  now  to 
deal.  He  built  two  enormous  ships,  much 
larger  than  those  of  the  ordinary  size,  and  arm- 
ed and  equipped  them  in  the  most  perfect  man- 
ner. He  filled  them  with  selected  men,  and 
sailing  down  along  the  coast  of  Scotland,  he 
watched  for  a  place  and  an  opportunity  to  land 
Winds  and  storms  are  almost  always  raging 
among  the  dark  and  gloomy  mountains  and  isl 
ands  of  Scotland.  Ragnar's  ships  were  caught 
u  one  of  these  galev  and  driven  on  shore.  The 
ships  were  lost,  bn»  the  men  escaped  to  the 
land.  Ragnar,  notniuv  daunted,  organized  anc 
marshaled  them  as  an  army,  and  marched  inte 
the  interior  to  attack  any  force  which  might 
appear  against  them.  His  course  led  him  to 
Northumbria,  the  most  northerly  Saxon  king* 


A.D.850.]  THE  DANES.  6i* 

Eapiar  defeated  by  the  Saxooa.  ills  eroat  dmth. 

don'..  Here  he  soon  encountered  a  very  large 
»nd  superior  force,  under  the  command  of  Ella, 
uhe  king;  but,  with  the  reckless  desperation 
which  so  strongly  marked  his  character,  he  ad- 
vanced  to  attack  them.  Three  times,  it  is  said, 
he  pierced  the  enemy's  lines,  cutting  his  way 
entirely  through  them  with  his  little  column. 
He  was,  however,  at  length  overpowered.  His 
men  were  cut  to  pieces,  and  he  was  himself 
taken  prisoner.  We  regret  to  have  to  add  that 
our  cruel  ancestors  put  their  captive  to  death  in 
*  very  barbarous  manner.  They  filled  a  den 
with  poisonous  snakes,  and  then  drove  the 
wretched  Ragnar  into  it.  The  horrid  reptiles 
Rilled  him  with  their  stings.  It  was  Ella,  the 
king  of  Northumbria,  who  ordered  and  directed 
this  punishment. 

The  expedition  of  Ragnar  thus  ended  with- 
out leading  to  any  permanent  results  in  Anglo- 
Saxon  history.  It  is,  however,  memorable  as 
the  first  of  a  series  of  invasions  from  the  Danes 
—or  Northmen,  as  they  are  sometimes  called, 
since  they  came  from  all  the  coasts  of  the  Bal- 
tic and  German.  Seas — which,  in  the  end,  gave 
the  Anglo-Saxons  infinite  trouble.  At  one  time, 
in  fact,  the  conquests  of  the  Danes  threatened 
to  root  out  and  destroy  the  Anglo-Saxon  powe» 


70  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  351, 

Danger  of  the  Saxon*.  Other  Invasions 

from  the  island  altogether.  They  would  prob- 
ably have  actually  effected  this,  had  the  nation 
not  been  saved  by  the  prudence,  the  courage, 
the  sagacity,  and  the  consummate  skill  of  the 
subject  of  this  history,  as  will  fully  appear  to 
the  reader  in  the  course  of  future  chapters. 

Ragnar  was  not  the  only  one  of  these  North, 
men  who  made  attempts  to  land  in  England 
and  to  plunder  the  Anglo-Saxons,  even  in  his 
own  day.  Although  there  were  no  very  regu- 
lar historical  records  kept  in  those  early  times, 
still  a  great  number  of  legends,  and  ballads, 
and  ancient  chronicles  have  come  down  to  us, 
narrating  the  various  transactions  which  occur- 
red, and  it  appears  by  these  that  the  sea  kings 
generally  were  beginning,  at  this  time,  to  har- 
ass the  English  coasts,  as  well  as  all  the  other 
shores  to  which  they  could  gain  access.  Some 
of  these  invasions  would  seem  to  have  been  of 
a  very  formidable  character. 

At  first  these  excursions  were  made  in  tha 
summer  season  only,  and,  after  collecting  thoil 
plunder,  the  marauders  would  return  in  the  au- 
tumn to  their  own  shores,  and  winter  in  the 
,bays  and  among  the  islands  there.  At  length, 
nowever,  they  grew  more  bold.  A  large  band 
of  them  landed,  in  the  autumn  of  851,  on  the 


A.D.85L]          THE  DANES.  71 

Plunder  of  London  and  other  placet.  Defeat  of  the  Dane* 

island  of  Thanet  where  the  Saxons  themselves 
had  landed  four  centuries  before,  and  began 
very  coolly  to  establish  their  winter  quarters  on 
English  ground.  They  succeeded  in  maintain- 
ing their  stay  during  the  winter,  and  in  the 
spring  were  prepared  for  bolder  undertakings 
still. 

They  formed  a  grand  confederation,  and  col- 
lected a  fleet  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  ships, 
galleys,  and  boats,  and  advanced  boldly  up  the 
Thames.  They  plundered  London,  and  then 
marched  south  to  Canterbury,  which  they  plun- 
dered too.  They  went  thence  into  one  of  the 
Anglo.  Saxon  kingdoms  called  Mercia,  the  in- 
habitants of  the  country  not  being  able  to  op- 
pose any  effectual  obstacle  to  their  marauding 
march.  Finally,  a  great  Anglo-Saxon  force 
was  organized  and  brought  out  to  meet  them. 
The  battle  was  fought  in  a  forest  of  oaks,  and 
the  Danes  were  defeated.  The  victory,  how- 
ever, afforded  the  Anglo-Saxon  kingdoms  only 
a  temporary  relief.  New  hordes  were  contin- 
ually arriving  and  landing,  growing  more  and 
more  bold  if  they  met  with  success,  and  but  lit* 
tie  daunted  or  discouraged  by  temporary  fail, 
ares. 

The  most  formidable  of  all  these  expedition! 


72  ALFRED  THE  GREAT    [A.D.  851 

Tbe  •ona  and  relative  of  Ragnar.  Their  plans  and  preparation*. 

was  one  organized  and  commanded  by  the  sona 
and  relatives  of  Ragnar,  whom,  it  will  be  rec- 
ollected, the  Saxons  had  cruelly  killed  by  pois* 
jnous  serpents  in  a  dungeon  or  den.  The  rel- 
atives of  the  unhappy  chieftain  thus  barbar- 
ously executed  were  animated  in  their  enter- 
prise by  the  double  stimulus  of  love  of  plunder 
and  a  ferocious  thirst  for  revenge.  A  consider- 
able time  was  spent  in  collecting  a  large  fleet, 
and  in  combining,  for  this  purpose,  as  many 
chieftains  as  could  be  induced  to  share  in  the 
enterprise.  The  story  of  their  fellow-country- 
man expiring  under  the  stings  of  adders  and 
scorpions,  while  his  tormentors  were  exulting 
around  him  over  the  cruel  agonies  which  their 
ingenuity  had  devised,  aroused  them  to  a  phren- 
sy  of  hatred  and  revenge.  They  proceeded, 
however,  very  deliberately  in  their  plans.  They 
did  nothing  hastily.  They  allowed  ample  time 
for  th  •  assembling  and  organizing  of  the  con- 
federation. When  all  was  ready,  they  found 
that  there  were  eight  kings  and  twenty  earls 
ji  the  alliance,  generally  the  relatives  and  com- 
rades of  Ragnar.  The  two  most  prominent  of 
these  commanders  were  Guthrum  and  Hubba 
Hubba  was  one  of  Ragnar's  sons.  At  length, 
toward  the  close  of  the  summer,  the  formidable 


A.D.851.J  THE  DANES  73 

Hie  Danes  winter  in  England.  Alarm  of  the  Saxons. 

expedition  set  sail.  They  approached  the  En- 
glish coast,  and  landed  without  meeting  with 
any  resistance.  The  Saxons  seemed  appalled 
and  paralyzed  at  the  greatness  of  the  danger. 
Tlie  several  kingdoms  of  the  Heptarchy,  though 
they  had  been  imperfectly  united,  some  yeara 
before,  under  Egbert,  were  still  more  or  less 
distinct,  and  each  hoped  that  the  one  first  in- 
vaded would  be  the  only  one  which  would  suf- 
fer ;  and  as  these  kingdoms  were  rivals,  and 
often  hostile  to  each  other,  no  general  league 
was  formed  against  what  soon  proved  to  be  the 
common  enemy.  The  Danes,  accordingly,  qui- 
etly encamped,  and  made  calm  and  deliberate 
arrangements  for  spending  the  winter  in  their 
new  quarters,  as  if  they  were  at  home. 

During  all  this  time,  notwithstanding  the 
coolness  and  deliberation  with  which  these 
avengers  of  their  murdered  countryman  acted, 
the  fires  of  their  resentment  and  revenge  were 
slowly  but  steadily  burning,  and  as  soon  as  the 
spring  opened,  they  put  themselves  in  battle 
array,  and  marched  into  the  dominions  of  Ella. 
Ella  did  all  that  it  was  possible  to  do  to  meet 
and  oppose  them,  but  the  spirit  of  retaliation 
and  rage  which  his  cruelties  had  evoked  wai 
too  strong  to  be  resisted.  His  country  was  rav 


74  ALFRED  THE  GRE&T.  [A..D.  867 

Horrible  death  of  Ella.  Raraget  of  the  Dane* 

aged,  his  army  was  defeated,  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  the  dying  terrors  and  agonies  of 
Ragnar  among  the  serpents  were  expiated  by 
tenfold  worse  tortures  which  they  inflicted  upon 
Ella's  mutilated  body,  by  a  process  too  horrible 
to  be  described. 

After  thus  successfully  accomplishing  the 
great  object  of  their  expedition,  it  was  to  have 
been  hoped  that  they  would  leave  the  island 
and  return  to  their  Danish  homes.  But  they 
evinced  no  disposition  to  do  this.  On  the  con- 
trary,  they  commenced  a  course  of  ravage  and 
conquest  in  all  parts  of  England,  which  con- 
tinued for  several  years.  The  parts  of  the  coun- 
try which  attempted  to  oppose  them  they  de- 
stroyed by  fire  and  sword.  They  seized  cities, 
garrisoned  and  occupied  them,  and  settled  in 
them  as  if  to  make  them  their  permanent 
homes.  One  kingdom  after  another  was  sub- 
dued. The  kingdom  of  Wessex  seemed  alone 
to  remain,  and  that  was  the  subject  of  contest 
Ethelred  was  the  king.  The  Danes  advanced 
into  his  dominions  to  attack  him.  In  the  bat- 
tle that  ensued,  Ethelred  was  killed.  The  suc- 
cessor to  his  throne  was  his  brother  Alfred,  the 
subject  of  this  history,  who  thus  found  himself 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly  called  upon  to  a* 


A.D.867.]  THE  DANES.  76 

Alfred.  His  sudden  elevation  to  pi 


sume  the  responsibilities  and  powers  of  supreme 
command,  in  as  dark  and  trying  a  crisis  of  na- 
tional calamity  and  danger  as  can  well  be  con 
•ceived.  The  manner  in  which  Alfred  acted  in 
the  emergency,  rescuing  his  country  from  her 
perils,  and  laying  the  foundations,  as  he  did,  of 
all  the  greatness  and  glory  which  has  since  ac- 
crued to  her,  has  caused  his  memory  to  be  held 
in  the  highest  estimation  among  all  nations, 
and  has  immortalized  his  name. 


76       ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  850-855 

Alfred  8  early  life.        Influence*  under  which  hi«  character  WM  formed 


CHAPTER  IV 
ALFRED'S  EARLY  YEARS. 

BEFORE  commencing  the  narrative  of  Al- 
fred's administration  of  the  public  affaire 
of  his  realm,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  a  little, 
in  order  to  give  some  account  of  the  more  pri- 
vate occurrences  of  his  early  life.  Alfred,  like 
Washington,  was  distinguished  for  a  very  ex- 
traordinary combination  of  qualities  which  ex- 
hibited itself  in  his  character,  viz.,  the  combina- 
tion of  great  military  energy  and  skill  on  the 
one  hand,  with  a  very  high  degree,  on  the  other, 
of  moral  and  religious  principle,  and  conscien- 
tious devotion  to  the  obligations  of  duty.  This 
combination,  so  rarely  found  in  the  distinguish- 
ed personages  which  have  figured  among  man- 
kind, is,  in  a  great  measure,  explained  and  ac- 
counted for,  in  Alfred's  case,  by  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  his  early  history. 

It  was  his  brother  Ethelred,  as  has  already 
oeen  stated,  whom  Alfred  immediately  sue- 
oeeded  His  father's  name  was  Ethelwolf;  and 
it  seems  highly  probable  that  the  peculiar  turn 
which  Alfred's  mind  seemed  to  take  in  after 


AD.  850-855.]  EARLY  YEARS.  77 

Alfred's  father.  Ethelwolf.  Monasteries 

years,  was  the  consequence,  in  some  considera- 
ble degree,  of  this  parent's  situation  and  char- 
acter. Ethelwolf  was  a  younger  son,  and  was 
brought  up  in  a  monastery  at  Winchester.  The 
monasteries  of  those  days  were  the  seats  ooth 
of  learning  and  piety,  that  is,  of  such  learning 
and  piety  as  then  prevailed.  The  ideas  of  re- 
ligious faith  and  duty  which  were  entertained  a 
thousand  years  ago  were  certainly  very  differ- 
ent from  those  which  are  received  now;  still, 
there  was  then,  mingled  with  much  supersti- 
tion, a  great  deal  of  honest  and  conscientious 
devotion  to  the  principles  of  Christian  duty,  and 
of  sincere  and  earnest  desire  to  live  for  the  hon- 
or of  God  and  religion,  and  for  the  highest  and 
best  welfare  of  mankind.  Monastic  establish- 
ments  existed  every  where,  defended  by  the  sa- 
credness  which  invested  them  from  the  storms 
of  violence  and  war  which  swept  over  every 
thing  which  the  cross  did  not  protect.  To  these 
the  thoughtful,  the  serious,  and  the  intellectual 
retired,  leaving  the  restless,  the  rude,  and  ihe 
turbulent  to  distract  and  terrify  the  earth  with 
their  endless  quarrels.  Here  they  studied,  thev 
wrote,  they  read  ;  they  transcribed  books,  they 
kept  records,  they  arranged  exercises  of  devo- 
tion, they  educated  youth,  and,  in  a  word,  pei 


78      ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.850-S55 

Ethel  wolf  retires  to  a  monastery.  He  is  released  from  his  vows 

formed,  in  the  inclosed  and  secluded  retreats 
in  which  they  sought  shelter,  those  intellectual 
functions  of  civil  life  which  now  can  all  be  per- 
formed in  open  exposure,  but  which  in  those 
days,  if  there  had  been  no  monastic  retreats  to 
shelter  them,  could  not  have  been  performed  at 
all.  For  the  learning  and  piety  of  the  present 
age,  whether  Catholic  or  Protestant,  to  malign 
the  monasteries  of  Anglo-Saxon  times  is  for  the 
oak  to  traduce  the  acorn  from  which  it  sprung. 

Ethelwolf  was  a  younger  son,  and,  conse- 
quently, did  not  expect  to  reign.  He  went  to 
the  monastery  at  Winchester,  and  took  the 
vows.  His  father  had  no  objection  to  this  plan, 
satisfied  with  having  his  oldest  son  expect  and 
prepare  for  the  throne.  As,  however,  he  ad- 
vanced toward  manhood,  the  thought  of  the 
probability  that  he  might  be  called  to  the  throne 
in  the  event  of  his  brother's  death  led  all  par- 
ties to  desire  that  he  might  be  released  from  hia 
monastic  vows.  They  applied,  accordingly,  to 
the  pope  for  a  dispensation.  The  dispensation 
was  granted,  and  Ethelwolf  became  a  genera] 
in  the  army.  In  the  end  his  brother  died,  and 
he  became  king. 

He  continued,  however,  during  his  reign,  to 
manifest  the  peaceful,  quiet,  and  serious  char- 


A.D.853.1        EARLY  YEARS  79 

Ethelwolfi  minister.  Ethelwolf  a  reUgiotu  habita 

aoter  which  had  led  him  to  enter  the  monas 
tery,  and  which  had  probably  been  strengthen- 
ed and  confirmed  by  the  influences  and  habit! 
to  which  he  had  been  accustomed  there.  He 
had,  however,  a  very  able,  energetic,  and  war- 
like minister,  who  managed  his  affairs  with 
great  ability  and  success  for  a  long  course  of 
years.  Ethelwolf,  in  the  mean  time,  leaving 
public  affairs  to  his  minister,  continued  to  de- 
vote himself  to  the  pursuits  to  which  his  predi 
iections  inclined  him.  He  visited  monasteries 
he  cultivated  learning ;  he  endowed  the  Church ; 
he  made  journeys  to  Rome.  All  this  time,  his 
kingdom,  which  had  before  almost  swallowed 
up  the  other  kingdoms  of  the  Heptarchy,  be- 
came more  and  more  firmly  established,  until, 
at  length,  the  Danes  came  in,  as  is  described  in 
the  last  chapter,  and  brought  the  whole  land 
into  the  most  extreme  and  imminent  danger. 
The  case  did  not,  however,  become  absolutely 
desperate  until  after  Ethelwolf 's  death,  as  will 
be  hereafter  explained. 

Ethelwolf  married  a  lady  whose  gentle,  quiet* 
and  serious  character  corresponded  with  hia 
own.  Alfred  was  the  youngest,  and,  as  is  often 
the  case  with  the  youngest,  the  favorite  child 
He  was  kept  near  to  his  father  and  mother,  ana 


80  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  853 

Alfred  sent  to  Rome.  Pomp  of  the  Vrarney 

closely  under  their  influence,  until  his  mother 
died,  which  event,  howuver,  took  place  when  he 
was  quite  young  After  this,  Ethelwolf  sent 
Alfred  to  Rome.  Rome  was  still  more  the 
great  center  then  than  it  is  now  of  religion  and 
learning.  There  were  schools  there,  maintain  • 
ed  by  the  various  nations  of  Europe  respect- 
ively, for  thvi  education  of  the  sons  of  the  no- 
bility. Alfred,  however,  did  not  go  for  this  pur- 
pose. It  was  only  to  make  the  journey,  to  see 
the  city,  to  be  introduced  to  the  pope,  and  to 
be  presented,  by  means  of  the  fame  of  the  ex- 
pedition, to  the  notice  of  Europe,  as  the  future 
sovereign  of  England;  for  it  was  Ethelwolf 's 
intention,  at  this  time,  to  pass  over  his  older 
sons,  and  make  this  Benjamin  his  successor  on 
the  throne. 

The  journey  was  made  with  great  pomp  and 
parade.  A  large  train  of  nobles  and  ecclesias- 
tics accompanied  the  young  prince,  and  a  splen- 
did reception  was  given  to  him  in  the  various 
towns  in  France  which  he  passed  through  on 
his  way.  He  was  but  five  years  old ;  but  hi? 
position  and  his  prospects  made  him,  tliough  so 
young,  a  personage  of  great  distinction.  After 
spending  a  short  time  at  Rome,  he  returned 
again  to  England. 


A.D.  533.J        EARLY  YEARS.  81 

Kthelwolf  goe«  to  Rome.  Arrangements  for  the  Journey 

Two  years  after  this,  Ethelwolf,  Alfred's  fa- 
ther, determined  to  go  to  Rome  himself.  Hia 
wife  had  died,  his  older  sons  had  grown  up, 
and  his  own  natural  aversion  to  the  cares  and 
toils  of  government  seems  to  have  been  increas- 
ed by  the  alarms  and  dangers  produced  by  the 
incursions  of  the  Danes,  and  by  his  own  ad- 
vancing years.  Having  accordingly  arranged 
the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  by  placing  his  oldest 
sons  in  command,  he  took  the  youngest,  Alfred, 
who  was  now  seven  years  old,  with  him,  and, 
crossing  the  Channel,  landed  on  the  Continent, 
on  his  way  to  Rome. 

All  the  arrangements  for  this  journey  were 
conducted  on  a  scale  of  great  magnificence  and 
splendor.  It  is  true  that  it  was  a  rude  and 
semi-barbarous  age,  and  very  little  progress  had 
been  made  in  respect  to  the  peaceful  and  indus- 
trial arts  of  life  ;  but,  in  respect  to  the  arts  con- 
nected with  war,  to  every  thing  that  related  to 
the  march  of  armies,  the  pomp  and  parade  of 
royal  progresses,  the  caparison  of  horses,  the 
armor  and  military  dresses  of  men,  and  the  pa- 
rade and  pageantry  of  military  spectacles,  a 
very  considerable  degree  of  advancement  had 
been  attained. 

King  Ethelwolf  availed  himself  of  all  the  re- 
24—6 


82  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  858 

Etbelwoirs  retinue.  Presents  to  the  pope 

sources  that  he  could  command  to  give  eclat  to 
his  journey.  He  had  a  namerous  train  of  at- 
tendants and  followers,  and  he  carried  with 
him  a  number  of  rich  and  valuable  presents  for 
the  pope.  He  was  received  with  great  distinc- 
tion by  King  Charles  of  France,  through  whos« 
dominions  he  had  to  pass  on  his  way  to  Italy 
Charles  had  a  daughter,  Judith,  a  young  girl, 
with  whom  Ethelwolf,  though  now  himself 
quite  advanced  in  life,  fell  deeply  in  love. 

Ethelwolf,  after  a  short  stay  in  France,  went 
on  to  Rome.  His  arrival  and  his  visit  here  at- 
tracted great  attention.  As  King  of  England, 
he  was  a  personage  of  very  considerable  conse- 
quence, and  then  he  came  with  a  large  retinue, 
and  in  magnificent  state.  His  religious  predi- 
lections, too,  inspired  him  with  a  very  strong 
interest  in  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  and  in- 
stitutions of  Rome,  and  awakened,  reciprocally, 
in  these  authorities,  a  strong  interest  in  him 
He  made  costly  presents  to  the  pope,  some  of 
which  were  peculiarly  splendid.  One  was  a 
crown  of  pure  gold,  which  weighed,  it  is  said, 
four  pounds.  Another  was  a  sword,  richly 
mounted  in  gold.  There  were  also  several  uten- 
sils anJ  vessels  of  Saxon  form  and  construction, 
«ome  of  gold  and  others  of  silver  gilt,  and  also  • 


A.D.853.J        EARLY  YEARS.  8;J 

Distribution  of  money.  Ethelwolf**  resource! 

considerable  number  of  dresses,  all  very  riohiy 
adorned.  King  Ethel  wolf  also  made  a  distri- 
bution in  money  to  all  tne  inhabitants  of  Rome  ; 
gold  to  the  nobles  and  to  the  clergy,  and  silver 
to  the  people.  How  far  his  munificence  on  this 
occasion  may  have  been  exaggerated  by  the 
Saxon  chroniclers,  who,  of  course,  like  other 
early  historians,  were  fond  of  magnifying  all 
the  exploits,  and  swelling,  in  every  way,  the 
fame  of  the  heroes  of  their  stories,  we  can  not 
now  know.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that 
all  the  circumstances  of  Ethelwolf 's  visit  to  the 
great  capital  were  such  as  to  attract  universal 
attention  to  the  event,  and  to  make  the  little 
Alfred,  on  whose  account  the  journey  was  in  a 
great  measure  performed,  an  object  of  very  gen- 
eral interest  and  attention. 

In  fact,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  ihat 
the  Saxon  nations  had,  at  that  time,  made  such 
progress  in  wealth,  population,  and  power  as  to 
afford  to  such  a  prince  as  Ethelwolf  the  means 
of  making  a  great  display,  if  he  chose  to  do  so, 
on  such  an  occasion  as  that  of  a  royal  progresa 
through  France  and  a  visit  to  the  great  city  of 
Rome.  The  Saxons  had  been  in  possession  of 
England,  at  this  time,  many  hundred  years ; 
and  though,  during  all  this  period,  they  had  been 


84  ALFRED  THE  GREAT    [A.D.854. 

Roma.  Its  schools  of  learning 

involved  in  various  wars,  both  with  one  anothei 
and  with  the  neighboring  nations,  they  had 
been  all  the  time  steadily  increasing  in  wealth, 
and  making  constant  improvements  in  all  the 
arts  and  refinements  of  life.  Ethelwolf  reigned, 
therefore,  over  a  people  of  considerable  wealth 
and  power,  and  he  moved  across  the  Continent 
on  his  way  to  Rome,  and  figured  while  there, 
as  a  personage  of  no  ordinary  distinction. 

Rome  was  at  this  time,  as  we  have  said,  the 
great  center  of  education,  as  well  as  of  religious 
and  ecclesiastical  influence.  In  fact,  education 
and  religion  went  hand  in  hand  in  those  days, 
there  being  scarcely  any  instruction  in  books 
excepting  for  the  purposes  of  the  Church.  Sep- 
arate schools  had  been  established  at  Rome  by 
the  leading  nations  of  Europe,  where  theii 
youth  could  be  taught,  each  at  an  institution 
in  which  his  own  language  was  spoken.  Eth- 
elwolf remained  a  year  at  Rome,  to  give  Alfred 
the  benefit  of  the  advantages  which  the  city 
afforded.  The  boy  was  of  a  reflective  and 
thoughtful  turn  of  mind,  and  applied  himself 
diligently  to  the  performance  of  his  duties.  Hi* 
mind  was  rapidly  expanded,  his  powers  were 
developed,  and  stores  of  such  knowledge  as  was 
adapted  to  the  circumstances  and  wants  of  the 


AJX855.]        EARLY  YEABS.  86 

The  Saxon  seminary  burned.  Rebuilt  bj  Ethtiwotf 

times  were  laid  up.  The  religious  and  intek 
lectual  influences  thus  brought  to  bear  upo* 
the  young  Alfred's  mind  produced  strong  and 
decided  effects  in  the  formation  of  his  character 
—effects  which  were  very  strikingly  visible  in 
liis  subsequent  career. 

Ethel  wolf  found,  when  he  arrived  at  Rome, 
that  the  Saxon  seminary  had  been  burned  the 
preceding  year.  It  had  been  founded  by  a  for- 
mer Saxon  king.  Ethel  wolf  rebuilt  it,  and 
placed  the  institution  on  a  new  and  firmer 
foundation  than  before.  He  also  obtained  some 
edicts  from  the  papal  government  to  secure  and 
confirm  certain  rights  of  his  Saxon  subjects  re- 
siding in  the  city,  which  rights  had,  it  seems, 
been  in  some  degree  infringed  upon,  and  he  thus 
saved  his  subjects  from  oppressions  to  which 
they  had  been  exposed.  In  a  word,  Ethelwolf 'e 
visit  not  only  afforded  an  imposing  spectacle  to 
those  who  witnessed  the  pageantry  and  the  cer- 
emonies which  marked  it,  but  it  was  attended 
with  permanent  and  substantial  benefits  to 
many  classes,  who  became,  in  consequence  »f 
it,  the  objects  of  the  pious  monarch's  benevolent 
regard. 

At  length,  when  the  year  had  expired,  Eth- 
elwolf  set  out  on  his  return  He  went  back 


b6  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  855 

Etfaelwolf  tn  Prance.  He  falU  in  lore  with  Judith. 

through  France,  as  he  oame,  and  during  his 
stay  in  that  country  on  the  way  home,  an  event 
occurred  which  was  of  no  inconsiderable  conse- 
quence to  Alfred  himself,  and  which  changed 
or  modified  Ethel  wolf's  whole  destiny.  The 
event  was  that,  having,  as  before  stated,  be- 
oome  enamored  with  the  young  Princess  Ju- 
dith, the  daughter  of  the  King  of  France,  Eth- 
elwolf  demanded  her  in  marriage.  We  have 
no  means  of  knowing  how  the  proposal  affected 
the  princess  herself;  marriages  in  that  rank 
and  station  in  life  were  then,  as  they  are  now 
in  fact,  wholly  determined  and  controlled  by 
great  political  considerations,  or  by  the  personal 
predilections  of  powerful  men,  with  very  little 
regard  for  the  opinions  or  desires  of  the  party 
whose  happiness  was  most  to  be  affected  by  the 
result.  At  all  events,  whatever  may  have  been 
Judith's  opinion,  the  marriage  was  decided  upon 
and  consummated,  and  the  venerable  king  re- 
turned to  England  with  his  youthful  bride 
The  historians  of  the  day  say,  what  would  seem 
almost  incredible,  that  she  was  but  about  twelve 
years  QI*. 

Judith's  Saxon  name  was  Leotheta.  She 
made  an  excellent  mother  to  the  young  Alfred, 
though  she  innocently  and  indirectly  caused  her 


A.D.855.]        EARLY  YEARS.  87 

Ethelwolf  g  death.  Etbolba-'d 

husband  much  trouble  in  his  realm.  Alfred's 
older  brothers  were  wild  and  turbulent  men» 
and  one  of  them,  Ethelbald,  was  disposed  to 
retain  a  portion  of  the  power  with  which  he  had 
been  invested  during  his  father's  absence,  in- 
stead of  giving  it  up  peaceably  on  his  return. 
He  organized  a  rebellion  against  his  father, 
making  the  king's  course  of  conduct  in  respect 
to  his  youthful  bride  the  pretext.  Ethelwolf 
was  very  fond  of  his  young  wife,  and  seemed 
disposed  to  elevate  her  to  a  position  of  great 
political  consideration  and  honor.  Ethelbald 
complained  of  this.  The  father,  loving  peace 
rather  than  war,  compromised  the  question  with 
him,  and  relinquished  to  him  a  part  of  his  king- 
dom. Two  years  after  this  he  died,  leaving 
Ethelbald  the  entire  possession  of  the  throne. 
Ethelbald,  as  if  to  complete  and  consummate 
his  unnatural  conduct  toward  his  father,  per- 
suaded the  beautiful  Judith,  his  father's  widow, 
to  become  his  wife,  in  violation  not  only  of  all 
laws  human  and  divine,  but  also  of  those  uni- 
versal instincts  of  propriety  which  no  lapse  of 
time  and  no  changes  of  condition  can  eradicate 
from  the  human  soul.  This  second  union 
throws  some  light  on  the  question  of  Judith's 
action.  Since  she  was  willing  to  marry  her 


**8  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.857 

Alfred's  character.  Judith's  Interest  In  him 

husband's  son  to  preserve  the  position  of  a 
queen,  we  may  well  suppose  that  she  did  not 
object  to  uniting  herself  to  the  father  in  ordei 
to  attain  it.  Perhaps,  however,  we  ought  to 
consider  that  no  responsibility  whatever,  in 
transactions  of  this  character,  should  attach  to 
4uch  a  mere  child. 

During  all  this  time  Alfred  was  passing  from 
his  eighth  to  his  twelfth  year.  He  was  a  verv 
intelligent  and  observing  boy,  and  had  acquired 
much  knowledge  of  the  world  and  a  great  deal 
•f  general  information  in  the  journeys  which  he 
had  taken  with  his  father,  both  about  England 
and  also  on  the  Continent,  in  France  and  Italy. 
Judith  had  taken  a  great  interest  in  his  prog- 
ress. She  talked  with  him,  she  encouraged  his 
inquiries,  she  explained  to  him  what  he  did  not 
understand,  and  endeavored  in  every  way  to 
develop  and  strengthen  his  mental  powers.  Al- 
fred was  a  favorite,  and,  as  such,  was  always 
very  much  indulged ;  but  there  was  a  certain 
conscientiousness  and  gentleness  of  spirit  which 
marked  his  character  even  in  these  early  yearaj 
and  seemed  to  defend  him  from  the  injurious 
Influences  which  indulgence  and  extreme  atten- 
tion and  care  often  produce.  Alfred  was  con- 
siderate, quiet,  and  reflective ;  he  improved  the 


A.D.857.]        EARLY  YEARS.  89 

Alfred's  (bndneM  for  Anglo-Saxon  poetry.  It*  ehar*ct«r 

privileges  which  he  enjoyed,  and  did  not  abuse 
the  kindness  and  the  favors  which  every  one  by 
vhom  he  was  known  lavished  upon  him. 

Alfred  was  very  fond  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  po- 
r4ry  which  abounded  in  those  days.  The  poems 
were  legends,  ballads,  and  tales,  which  describ- 
ed the  exploits  of  heroes,  and  the  adventures  of 
pilgrims  and  wanderers  of  all  kinds.  These 
poems  were  to  Alfred  what  Homer's  poems 
were  to  Alexander.  He  loved  to  listen  to  them, 
to  hear  them  recited,  and  to  commit  them  to 
memory.  In  committing  them  to  memory,  he 
was  obliged  to  depend  upon  hearing  the  poems 
repeated  by  others,  for  he  himself  could  not 
read. 

And  yet  he  was  now  twelve  years  old.  It 
may  surprise  the  reader,  perhaps,  to  be  thus 
told,  after  all  that  has  been  said  of  the  attention 
paid  to  Alfred's  education,  and  of  the  progress 
which  he  had  made,  that  he  could  not  even  read. 
But  reading,  far  from  being  then  considered,  as 
it  is  now,  an  essential  attainment  for  all,  and 
sue  which  we  are  sure  of  finding  possessed  by 
all  who  have  received  any  instruction  whatever, 
was  regarded  in  those  days  a  sort  of  technical 
art,  learned  only  by  those  who  were  tc  make 
some  professional  use  of  the  acquisition  Monks 


90  ALFRED  THE  GEE  AT.  [A.D.  857 


Alfred  i  jiablJity  to  read.  The  Anglo-Saxon  manuscript 

and  clerks  could  always  read,  but  generals,  gen- 
tlemen, and  kings  very  seldom.  And  as  they 
could  not  read,  neither  could  they  write.  They 
made  a  rude  cross  at  the  end  of  the  writings 
which  they  wished  to  authenticate  instead  of 
signing  their  names — a  mode  which  remains  to 
the  present  day,  though  it  has  descended  to  the 
very  lowest  and  humblest  classes  of  society. 

In  fact,  even  the  upper  classes  of  society 
could  not  generally  learn  to  read  in  those  days, 
for  there  were  no  books.  Every  thing  recorded 
was  in  manuscripts,  the  characters  being  writ- 
ten with  great  labor  and  care,  usually  on  parch- 
ment, the  captions  and  leading  lettars  being 
often  splendidly  illuminated  and  adorned  by 
gilded  minic.  cures  of  heads,  or  figures,  or  land- 
scapes, which  enveloped  or  surrounded  them 
Judith  had  such  a  manuscript  'if  some  Saxon 
poems.  She  had  learned  the  language  while  in 
France.  One  ('°v  Alfred  was  looking  at  the 
book,  and  admiring  the  character  in  whicn  it 
vras  written,  particularly  the  ornamented  let- 
ters at  the  headings.  Some  of  his  brothers  were 
Ln  the  room,  they,  of  course,  being  much  older 
than  he  Judith  said  that  either  of  them  might 
have  the  book  who  would  first  learn  to  read  it. 
The  older  brothers  paid  little  attention  to  tni* 


A.D.  859.J        EARLY  YEARS  91 


proposal,  but  Alfred's  interest  was  strongly 
iwakened.  He  immediately  sought  and  found 
»me  one  to  teach  him,  and  before  long  he  read 
the  volume  to  Judith,  and  claimed  it  as  his 
iwn.  She  rejoiced  at  his  success,  and  fulfilled 
her  promise  with  the  greatest  pleasure. 

Alfred  soon  acquired,  by  his  Anglo-Saxon 
studies,  a  great  taste  for  books,  and  had  next  a 
strong  desire  to  study  the  Latin  language.  The 
scholars  of  the  various  nations  of  Europe  form- 
ed at  that  time,  as,  in  fact,  they  vL  now,  one 
community,  linked  together  by  many  ties.  They 
wrote  and  spoke  the  Latin  language,  that  being 
the  only  language  which  could  be  understood 
by  them  all.  In  fact,  the  works  which  were 
most  highly  valued  then  by  the  educated  men 
of  all  nations,  were  the  poems  and  the  histories, 
and  other  writings  produced  by  the  classic  au- 
thors of  the  Roman  commonwealth.  There 
were  also  many  works  on  theology,  on  ecclesi- 
astical polity,  and  on  law,  of  great  authority 
and  in  high  repute,  all  written  in  the  Latin 
tongue,  Copies  of  these  works  were  made  by 
the  monn-s,  in  their  retreats  in  abbeys  and  mon- 
asteries, and  learned  men  spent  their  lives  in 
perusing  them.  To  explore  this  field  was  not 
properly  a  duty  incumbent  upon  a  young  prince 


92  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  860 

Alfred's  skill  in  hunting.  Ethelbald  puts  away  his  wife 

destined  to  take  a  seat  upon  a  throne,  but  Al- 
fred felt  a  great  desire  to  undertake  the  work. 
He  did  not  do  it,  however,  for  the  reason,  as  he 
afterward  stated,  that  there  was  no  one  at  court 
it  the  time  who  was  qualified  to  teach  him. 

Alfred,  though  he  had  thus  the  thoughtful 
and  reflective  habits  of  a  student,  was  also  act- 
ive, and  graceful,  and  strong  in  his  bodily  de- 
velopment. He  excelled  in  all  the  athletic  rec- 
reations of  the  time,  and  was  especially  famous 
for  his  skill,  and  courage,  and  power  as  a  hunt- 
er. He  gave  every  indication,  in  a  word,  at 
this  early  age,  of  possessing  that  uncommon 
combination  of  mental  and  personal  qualities 
which  fits  those  who  possess  it  to  secure  and 
maintain  a  great  ascendency  among  mankind. 

The  unnatural  union  which  had  been  formed 
on  the  death  of  Ethel  wolf  between  his  youthful 
widow  and  her  aged  husband's  son  did  not  long 
continue.  The  people  of  England  were  very 
much  shocked  at  such  a  marriage,  and  a  great 
prelate,  the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  remonstrated 
against  it  with  such  sternness  and  authority, 
that  Ethelbald  not  only  soon  put  his  wife  away, 
but  submitted  to  a  severe  penance  which  the 
bishop  imposed  upon  him  hi  retribution  for  his 
sin  Judith,  thus  forsaken,  soon  afterward  sold 


A.D.860.]        EARLY  YEARS.  93 


Judith  return!  to  her  native  land.  She  marries  •  third  time 

the  lands  and  estates  which  her  two  husbands 
nad  severally  granted  her,  and,  taking  a  final 
leave  of  Alfred,  whom  she  tenderly  loved,  she 
returned  to  her  native  land.  Not  long  after 
this,  she  was  married  a  third  time,  to  a  conti- 
nental prince,  whose  dominions  lay  between 
the  Baltic  and  the  Rhine,  and  from  this  period 
she  disappears  entirely  from  the  stage  of  Al- 
fred's history 


94  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  860 

The  Duet.  Their  hostility  to  Chrirtiaclty 


CHAPTER  V. 

STATE  OF  ENGLAND. 

HAVING  thus  brought  down  the  narrative 
of  Alfred's  early  life  as  far  and  as  fully  as 
the  records  that  remain  enable  us  to  do  so,  we 
resume  the  general  history  of  the  national  af- 
fairs by  returning  to  the  subject  of  the  depreda- 
tions and  conquests  of  the  Danes,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances connected  with  Alfred's  accession  to 
the  throne. 

To  give  the  reader  some  definite  and  clear 
ideas  of  the  nature  of  this  warfare,  it  will  be 
well  to  describe  in  detail  some  few  of  the  inci- 
dents and  scenes  which  ancient  historians  have 
recorded.  The  following  was  one  case  which 
occurred  : 

The  Danes,  it  must  be  premised,  were  par- 
ticularly hostile  to  the  monasteries  and  religious 
establishments  of  the  Anglo-Saxons.  In  the 
first  place,  they  were  themselves  pagans,  and 
they  hated  Christianity.  In  the  second  place, 
they  knew  that  these  places  of  sacred  seclusion 
were  often  the  depositories  selected  for  the  cus- 
tody or  concealment  of  treasure;  and,  besida 


A.D.  860.]  STATE  or  ENGLAND  95 

PI  nuderings  of  the  Dane*.  Their  cruelties  to  monks  and  DTUU 

the  treasures  which  kings  and  potentates  often 
placed  in  them  for  safety,  these  establishments 
possessed  utensils  of  gold  and  silver  for  the  serv- 
ice ol  the  chapels,  and  a  great  variety  of  valu- 
able gifts,  such  as  pious  saints  or  penitent  sin 
ners  were  continually  bequeathing  to  them 
The  Danes  were,  consequently,  never  better 
pleased  than  when  sacking  an  abbey  or  a  mon- 
astery. In  such  exploits  they  gratified  their 
terrible  animal  propensities,  both  of  hatred  and 
love,  by  the  cruelties  which  they  perpetrated 
personally  upon  the  monks  and  the  nuns,  and 
at  the  same  time  enriched  their  coffers  with  the 
most  valuable  spoils.  A  dreadful  tale  is  told 
of  one  company  of  nuns,  who,  in  the  consterna- 
tion and  terror  which  they  endured  at  the  ap- 
proach of  a  band  of  Danes,  mutilated  their  faces 
in  a  manner  too  horrid  to  be  described,  as  the 
only  means  left  to  them  for  protection  against 
the  brutality  of  their  foes.  They  followed,  in 
adopting  this  measure,  the  advice  and  the  ex- 
ample of  the  lady  superior.  It  was  effectual. 

There  was  a  certain  abbey,  called  Crowlandj 
which  was  in  those  days  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated in  the  island.  It  was  situated  near  the 
southern  border  of  Lincolnshire,  which  lies  on 
the  eastern  side  of  England.  There  is  a  great 


9t>  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A..D. 

Abbey  of  Crowland.  Its  ruins  still 

shallow  bay,  called  The  Wash,  on  this  eastern 
shore,  and  it  is  surrounded  by  a  broad  tract  of 
low  and  marshy  land,  which  is  drained  by  long 
oanals.  and  traversed  by  roads  built  upon  em- 
bankments. Dikes  skirt  the  margins  of  the 
streams,  and  wind-mills  are  engaged  in  perpet- 
ual toil  to  raise  the  water  from  the  fields  into 
the  channels  by  which  it  is  conveyed  away. 

Crowland  is  at  the  confluence  of  two  rivers, 
which  flow  sluggishly  through  this  flat  but 
beautiful  and  verdant  region.  The  remains  of 
the  old  abbey  still  stand,  built  on  piles  driven 
into  the  marshy  ground,  and  they  form  at  the 
present  time  a  very  interesting  mass  of  ruins 
The  year  before  Alfred  acceded  to  the  throne, 
the  abbey  was  in  all  its  glory ;  and  on  one  oc- 
casion it  furnished  two  hundred  men,  who  went 
out  under  the  command  of  one  of  the  monks, 
named  Friar  Joly,  to  join  the  English  armies 
and  fight  the  Danes. 

The  English  army  was  too  small  notwith- 
standing this  desperate  effort  to  strengthen  it 
They  stood,  however,  all  day  in  a  compact  band, 
protecting  themselves  with  their  shields  from  the 
arrows  of  the  foot  soldiers  of  the  enemy,  and 
with  thoir  pikes  from  the  onset  of  the  cavalry 
At  nijjht  the  Danes  retired,  as  if  giving  up  the 


A.D.  860.]  STATE  OF  ENOLAND.  97 

A  terrible  battle.  Scene  of  consternation 


contest ;  but  as  soon  as  the  Saxons,  now  released 
from  their  positions  of  confinement  and  re- 
straint, had  separated  a  little,  and  began  to  fee. 
somewhat  more  secure,  their  implacable  foes  *e- 
turned  again  and  attacked  them  in  separate 
masses,  and  with  more  fury  than  before.  The 
Saxons  endeavored  in  vain  either  to  defend 
themselves  or  escape.  As  fast  as  their  comrades 
were  kiDed,  the  survivors  stood  upon  the  heaps 
of  the  slain,  to  gain  what  little  advantage  they 
could  from  so  slight  an  elevation.  Nearly  all  at 
length  were  killed.  A  few  escaped  into  a  neigh- 
boring wood,  where  they  lay  concealed  during 
the  day  following,  and  then,  when  the  darkness 
of  the  succeeding  night  came  to  enable  them  to 
conceal  their  journey,  they  made  their  way  to 
the  abbey,  to  make  known  to  the  anxious  in- 
mates of  it  the  destruction  of  the  army,  and  to 
warn  them  of  the  imminence  of  the  impending 
danger  to  which  they  were  now  exposed. 

A  dreadful  scene  of  consternation  and  terror 
ensued.  The  affrighted  messengers  told  their 
tale,  breathless  and  wayworn,  at  the  door  of 
the  chapel,  where  the  monks  were  engaged  at 
their  devotions.  The  aisles  were  filled  with  ex- 
clamations of  alarm  and  despairing  .amenta* 

tions.     The  abbot,  whose  name  was  Theodore, 
24—7 


98  ALFRED  THE    (JKKAT.  JA.D.  8t)G 


Proceeding*  at  the  monastery.  Fart  ol  the  treasure  lent  away. 

immediately  began  to  take  measures  suited  to 
*hr  emergency.  He  resolved  to  retain  at  the 
monastery  only  some  aged  monks  and  a  few 
Children,  whose  utter  defenseiessness,  he  thought, 
would  disarm  the  ferocity  and  vengeance  of  the 
Danes.  The  rest,  only  about  thirty,  however, 
in  number — nearly  all  the  brethren  having  gone 
out  under  the  Friar  Joly  into  the  great  battle 
—were  put  on  board  a  boat  to  be  sent  down  the 
rivei  It  seems  at  first  view  a  strange  idea  to 
send  away  the  vigorous  and  strong,  and  keep 
the  infirm  and  helpless  at  the  scene  of  danger ; 
but  the  monks  knew  very  well  that  all  resist- 
ance was  vain,  and  that,  consequently,  their 
greatest  safety  would  lie  in  the  absence  of  all 
appearance  of  the  possibility  of  resistance. 

The  treasures  were  sent  away,  too,  with  all 
the  men.  They  hastily  collected  all  the  valu- 
ables together,  the  relics,  the  jewels,  and  all  of 
the  gold  and  silver  plate  which  could  be  easily 
removed,  and  placed  them  in  a  boat — packing 
them  as  securely  as  their  haste  and  trepidation 
allowed.  The  boats  glided  down  the  river  till 
they  came  to  a  lonely  spot,  where  an  anchorite 
or  sort  of  hermit  lived  in  solitude.  The  men 
and  the  treasures  were  to  be  intrusted  to  hia 
aharge.  H;  concealed  the  men  in  the  thioketa 


A..D.  860.J   STATE  OF  ENGLAND.  9b 

The  remaining  trnhflure  concealed.         Abbot  Theodora  and  the  acvkf. 

and  othei  hiding-places  in  the  woods,  and  bur- 
ied the  treasures. 

In  the  mean  time,  as  soon  as  the  boats  and 
the  party  of  monks  which  accompanied  them 
had  left  the  abbey,  the  Abbot  Theodore  and  the 
old  monks  that  remained  with  him  urged  on 
tne  work  of  concealing  that  part  of  the  treas- 
ures which  had  not  been  taken  away.  All  of 
the  plate  which  could  not  be  easily  transported, 
and  a  certain  very  rich  and  costly  table  employ- 
ed for  the  service  of  the  altar,  and  many  sacred 
and  expensive  garments  used  by  the  highei 
priests  in  their  ceremonies,  had  been  left  behind^ 
as  they  could  not  be  easily  removed.  Thest 
the  abbot  and  the  monks  concealed  in  the  most 
secure  places  that  they  could  find,  and  then, 
clothing  themselves  In  their  priestly  robes,  they 
assembled  in  the  chapel,  and  resumed  their  ex- 
iTcises  of  devotion.  To  be  found  in  so  sacred  a 
place  and  engaged  in  so  holy  an  avocation  would 
have  been  a  great  protection  from  any  Chris- 
tian soldiery  ;  but  the  monks  entirely  miscon- 
aeivod  the  nature  of  the  impulses  by  which  hu- 
man nature  is  governed,  in  supposing  that  it 
would  have  any  restraining  influence  upon  the 
oagan  Danes.  The  first  thing  the  ferocious 
marauders  did,  on  breaking  into  the  sacred  pre- 


100  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 860 

Slaughter  of  the  abbot  and  monks.  The  boy  Turgu 

oincts  of  the  chapel,  was  to  out  down  the  ven- 
erable abbot  at  the  altar,  in  his  sacerdotal  robes, 
and  then  to  push  forward  the  work  of  slaying 
every  other  inmate  of  the  abbey,  feeble  and 
helpless  as  they  were.  Only  one  was  saved. 

This  one  was  a  boy,  about  ten  years  old. 
His  name  was  Turgar.  He  was  a  handsome 
boy,  and  one  of  the  Danish  chieftains  waa 
struck  with  his  countenance  and  air,  in  the 
midst  of  the  slaughter,  and  took  pity  on  him. 
The  chieftain's  name  was  Count  Sidroo.  Si- 
droo  drew  Turgar  out  of  the  immediate  scene 
of  danger,  and  gave  him  a  Danish  garment,  di- 
recting him,  at  the  same  time,  to  throw  aside 
his  own,  and  then  to  follow  him  wherever  he 
went,  and  keep  close  to  his  side,  as  if  he  were 
a  Dane.  The  boy,  relieved  from  his  terrors  by 
this  hope  of  protection,  obeyed  implicitly.  He 
followed  Sidroo  every  where,  and  his  life  was 
saved.  The  Danes,  after  killing  all  the  others, 
ransacked  and  plundered  the  monastery,  broke 
jpen  the  tombs  in  their  search  for  concealed 
treasures,  and,  after  taking  all  that  they  could 
discover,  they  set  the  edifices  on  fire  wherever 
they  could  find  wood- work  that  would  burn,  and 
went  away,  leaving  the  bodies  slowly  burning 
in  the  grand  and  terrible  funeral  pile 


/LD.  860.]  STATE  OP   ENGLAND.  101 

The  Dane*  plunder  another  abbey.  Escape  of  Tnrgar 

From  Crowland  the  marauders  proceeded, 
taking  Turgar  with  them,  to  another  large  and 
wealthy  abbey  in  the  neighborhood,  which  they 
plundered  and  destroyed,  as  -they  had  the  abbey 
at  Crowland.  Sidroc  made  Turgar  his  own  at- 
tendant, keeping  him  always  near  him.  When 
the  expedition  had  completed  their  second  con- 
quest, they  packed  the  valuables  which  they 
had  obtained  from  both  abbeys  in  wagons,  and 
moved  toward  the  south.  It  happened  that 
some  of  these  wagons  were  under  Count  Si- 
droc's  charge,  and  were  in  the  rear  of  the  line  of 
march.  In  passing  a  ford,  the  wheels  of  one  of 
these  rear  wagons  sank  in  the  muddy  bottom, 
and  the  horses,  in  attempting  to  draw  the  wagon 
out,  became  entangled  and  restive.  While 
Sidroc's  whole  attention  was  engrossed  by  this 
difficulty,  Turgar  contrived  to  steal  away  un- 
observed. He  hid  himself  in  a  neighboring 
wood,  and,  with  a  degree  of  sagacity  and  dis- 
cretion remarkable  in  a  boy  of  his  years,  he  con- 
trived  to  find  his  way  back  to  the  smoking  ruio* 
<*f  his  home  at  the  Abbey  of  Crowland. 

The  monks  who  had  gone  away  to  seek  con- 
cealment at  the  cell  of  the  anchorite  had  re- 
turned, and  were  at  work  among  the  smoking 
rums,  saving  what  they  could  from  the  firo,  and 


102  ALFRED  THE   QREAT.  | A. I).  860 

Story  of  King  Edmund.  The  Dane  Lothbroc 

gathering  together  the  blackened  remains  of 
their  brethren  for  interment.  They  chose  one 
of  the  monks  that  had  escaped  to  succeed  the 
abbot  who  had  beer  r  ordered,  repaired,  so  far 
as  they  could,  theii-  ruined  edifices,  and  mourn- 
fully resumed  their  functions  as  a  religious  com- 
munity. 

Many  of  the  tales  which  the  ancient  chroni- 
clers tell  of  those  times  are  romantic  and  incredi- 
ble ;  they  may  have  arisen,  perhaps,  in  the  first 
instance,  in  exaggerations  of  incidents  and 
events  whio,»  really  occurred,  and  were  then 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation  by 
oral  tradition,  till  they  found  historians  to  record 
them.  The  story  of  the  martyrdom  of  King 
Edmund  is  of  this  character.  Edmund  was  a 
sort  of  king  over  one  of  the  nations  of  Anglo- 
Saxons  called  East  Angles,  who,  as  their  name 
imports,  occupied  a  part  of  the  eastern  portion 
of  the  island.  Their  particular  hostility  to  Ed- 
mund  was  awakened,  according  to  the  story,  in 
the  following  manner  • 

There  was  a  certain  bold  and  adventurous 
Dane  named  Lothbroc,  who  one  day  took  hia 
falcon  on  his  arm  and  went  out  alone  in  a  boat 
on  the  Baltic  Sea,  or  in  the  straits  connecting 
it  with  the  German  Ocean,  intending  to  go  to 


A..D.  860.]  STATE   OF   ENGLAND  105 

Fhe  falcon.  Lothhroc  driven  acroM  the  German  Ocean 

a  certain  island  and  hunt.  The  falcon  is  a 
species  of  hawk  which  they  were  accustomed 
tr.  train  in  those  days,  to  attack  and  bring  down 
jirds  from  the  air,  and  falconry  was,  as  might 
have  been  expected,  a  very  picturesque  and  ex- 
citing species  of  hunting.  The  game  which 
Lothbroo  was  going  to  seek  consisted  of  the  wild 
fowl  which  frequents  sometimes,  in  vast  num- 
bers, the  cliffs  and  shores  of  the  islands  in  those 
seas.  Before  he  reached  his  hunting  ground, 
however,  he  was  overtaken  by  a  storm,  and  his 
boat  was  driven  by  it  out  to  sea.  Accustomed 
to  all  sorts  of  adventures  and  dangers  by  sea 
and  by  land,  and  skilled  in  every  operation  re- 
quired in  all  possible  emergencies,  Lothbroc 
contrived  to  keep  his  boat  before  the  wind,  and 
to  bail  out  the  water  as  fast  as  it  came  in,  until 
at  length,  after  being  driven  entirely  across  the 
German  Ocean,  he  was  thrown  upon  the  En- 
glish shore,  where,  with  his  hawk  still  upon  :ia 
arm,  he  safely  landed. 

He  knew  that  he  was  in  the  country  of  the 
most  deadly  foes  of  his  nation  and  race,  and  ac- 
cordingly sought  to  conceal  rather  than  to  make 
known  his  arrival.  He  was,  however,  found, 
after  a  few  days,  wandering  up  and  down  in  a 
solitary  wood,  and  was  conducted,  together  with 
his  hawk,  to  Kins  Edmund 


106  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  860 

Lothbroc  taken  Into  Edmund's  service.  He  is  murdered  by  Beorn 

Edmund  was  so  much  pleased  with  his  ail 
and  bearing,  and  so  astonished  at  the  remarkable 
manner  in  which  he  had  been  brought  to  the 
English  shore,  that  he  gave  him  his  life;  and 
soon  discovering  bis  great  knowledge  and  skill 
as  a  huntsman,  ho  received  him  into  his  own 
service,  and  treated  him  with  great  distinction 
and  honor.  In  addition  to  his  hawk,  Lothbroo 
had  a  greyhound,  so  that  he  could  hunt  with  the 
king  in  the  fields  as  well  as  through  the  air 
The  greyhound  was  very  strongly  attached  to 
his  master. 

The  king's  chief  huntsman  at  this  time  was 
Beorn,  and  Beorn  soon  became  very  envious  and 
jealous  of  Lothbroc,  on  account  of  his  superior 
power  and  &^ill,  and  of  the  honorable  distinction 
which  they  procured  for  him.  One  day,  when 
they  two  were  hunting  alone  in  the  woods  with 
their  dogs,  Beorn  killed  his  rivai,  and  hid  his 
body  in  a  thicket.  Beorn  went  home,  his  own 
dogs  following  him,  while  the  greyhound  re 
mained  to  watch  mournfully  over  the  oody  o' 
his  master.  They  asked  Beorn  what  was  be 
oome  of  Lothbroc,  and  he  replied  that  he  had 
gone  off  into  the  wood  the  day  before,  and  he  .lid 
uot  know  what  had  become  of  him. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  greyhound  remained 


A.D.  860.]  STATE  OF  ENGLAND.  107 

Lothbroc'i  greyhound.  Beorn's  punishment 

faithfuUy  watching  at  the  side  of  the  body  of 
his  master  until  hunger  compelled  him  to  leava 
his  post  in  search  of  food.  He  went  home,  aud, 
as  soon  as  his  wants  were  supplied,  he  returned 
immediately  to  the  wood  again.  This  he  did 
several  days;  and  at  length  his  singular  con- 
duct attracting  attention,  he  was  followed  by 
some  of  the  king's  household,  and  the  body  of 
his  murdered  master  was  found. 

The  guilt  of  the  murder  was  with  little  diffi- 
culty brought  home  to  Beorn ;  and,  as  an  appro- 
priate punishment  for  his  cruelty  to  an  unfor- 
tunate and  hornless  stranger,  the  king  con. 
demned  him  to  be  put  on  boa*~*l  the  same  boat 
in  which  the  ill-fated  Lothbroc  had  made  his 
perilous  voyage,  and  pushed  out  to  sea. 

The  winds  and  storms— emering,  it  seems, 
into  the  plan,  and  influenced  by  the  same  prin- 
ciples of  poetical  justice  as  had  governed  the 
king— drove  the  boat,  with  its  terrified  mariner, 
back  again  across  to  the  nouth  of  the  Baltic,  as 
they  had  brought  Lothbroc  to  England.  The 
beat  was  thrown  upon  the  beach,  en  Lothbroo'a 
family  domain. 

Now  Lothbroo  had  been,  in  his  own  country, 
a  man  of  high  rank  and  influence.  He  was  of 
royal  descent,  and  nad  many  friends.  He  had 


108  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  860 

Lothbroc'i  eons.  Beorn't  treachery 

two  sons,  men  of  enterprise  and  energy ;  and  it 
so  happened  that  the  landing  of  Beorn  took 
place  so  near  to  them,  that  the  tidings  soon 
came  to  their  ears  that  their  father's  boat,  in 
the  hands  of  a  Saxon  stranger,  had  arrived  on 
••-he  coast.  They  immediately  sought  out  the 
stranger,  and  demanded  what  had  become  of 
their  father.  Beorn,  in  order  to  hide  his  own 
guilt,  fabricated  a  tale  of  Lothbroc's  having 
been  killed  by  Edmund,  the  king  of  the  East 
Angles.  The  sons  of  the  murdered  Lothbroc 
were  incensed  at  this  news.  They  aroused  theii 
countrymen  by  calling  upon  them  every  where 
to  aid  them  in  revenging  their  father's  death 
A  large  naval  force  was  accordingly  collected, 
and  a  formidable  descent  made  upon  the  English 
coast. 

Now  Edmund,  according  to  the  story,  was  a 
humane  and  gentle-minded  man,  much  more 
interested  in  deeds  of  benevolence  and  of  piety 
than  in  warlike  undertakings  and  exploits,  and 
he  was  very  far  from  being  well  prepared  tr- 
meet  this  formidable  foe.  In  fact,  he  sought 
refuge  in  a  retired  residence  called  Heglesdune. 
The  Danes,  having  taken  some  Saxons  captive 
in  a  city  which  they  had  sacked  and  destroyed, 
compelled  them  to  make  known  the  place  of 


A.D.  860.]    STATE  OF  EM^LAND.  10S 

Edmund  captured  by  the  Danes.  HI*  martyrdom 

the  king's  retreat.  Hinquar,  the  captain  of  the 
Danes,  sent  him  a  summons  to  come  and  sur- 
render both  himself  and  all  the  treasures  of  his 
kingdom.  Edmund  refused.  Hinquar  then 
jud  siege  to  the  palace,  and  surrounded  it ;  and, 
finally,  his  soldiers,  breaking  in,  put  Edmund's 
attendants  to  death,  and  brought  Edmund  him 
self,  bound,  into  Hinquar's  presence. 

Hinquar  decided  that  the  unfortunate  captive 
should  die.  He  was,  accordingly,  first  taken  to 
a  tree  and  scourged.  Theii  he  was  shot  at  with 
arrows,  until,  as  the  account  states,  his  body 
was  so  full  of  the  arrows  that  remained  in  the 
flesh  that  there  seemed  to  be  no  room  for  more 
During  all  this  time  Edmund  continued  to  call 
upon  the  name  of  Christ,  as  if  finding  spiritual 
refuge  and  strength  in  the  Redeemer  in  this  his 
hour  of  extremity ;  and  although  these  ejacula- 
tions afforded,  doubtless,  great  support  and  com- 
fort to  him,  they  only  served  to  irritate  to  a  per- 
fect phrensy  of  exasperation  his  implacable  p* 
gan  foes.  They  continued  to  shoot  arrows  intc 
him  until  he  was  dead,  and  then  they  cut  off 
his  head  and  went  away,  carrying  the  dissever- 
ed head  with  them.  Their  object  was  to  pre- 
vent his  friends  from  having  the  satisfaction  of 
interring  it  with  the  body.  They  carried  it  t§ 


110  ALFRED  THB  GREAT.  [AD.868 

Ed'jjund'a  friends  coma  from  their  hiding  places  His  head  found. 

what  they  supposed  a  sufficient  distance,  and 
then  threw  it  off  into  a  wood  by  the  way-side, 
where  they  supposed  it  could  not  easily  be 
found. 

As  soon,  however,  as  the  Danes  had  left  the 
place,  the  affrighted  friends  and  followers  of  Ed- 
mund  came  out,  by  degrees,  from  their  retreats 
and  hiding  places.  They  readily  found  the 
dead  body  of  their  sovereign,  as  it  lay,  of  course, 
where  the  cruel  deed  of  his  murder  had  been 
performed.  They  sought  with  mournful  and 
anxious  steps,  here  and  there,  all  around,  for  the 
head,  until  at  length,  when  they  came  into  the 
wood  where  it  was  lying,  they  heard,  as  the 
historian  who  records  these  events  gravely  tes- 
tifies, a  voice  issuing  from  it,  calling  them,  and 
directing  their  steps  by  the  sound.  They  fol- 
lowed the  voice,  and,  having  recovered  the  head 
by  means  of  this  miraculous  guidance,  they 
buried  it  with  the  body.* 

"  A  great  many  other  tales  are  told  of  the  miraculous  phe- 
nomena exhibited  by  the  body  of  St.  Edmund,  which  well 
illustrate  the  superstitious  credulity  of  those  times.  One  writ 
•r  says  seriously  that,  when  the  head  was  found,  a  wolf  had 
>t,  holding  it  carefully  in  his  paws,  with  all  the  gentleness  and 
care  that  the  most  faithful  dog  would  manifest  in  guarding  • 
trust  committed  to  him  by  his  master.  This  wolf  followed 
the  funeral  procession  to  the  tomb  where  the  body  was  de- 


A.D.870.]    STATE   :>F  ENGLAND.  Ill 

Credulity  of  mankind.  Commingling  of  piety  and  lupentition. 

It  seems  surprising  to  us  that  reasonable  men 
should  so  readily  believe  such  tales  as  these; 
but  there  are,  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  certain 
habits  of  belief,  in  conformity  to  which  the 
whole  community  go  together.  We  all  believe 
whatever  is  in  harmony  with,  or  analogous  to, 
the  general  type  of  faith  prevailing  in  our  own 
generation.  Nobody  could  be  persuaded  now 
that  a  dead  head  could  speak,  or  a  wolf  change 
his  nature  to  protect  it ;  but  thousands  will 
credit  a  fortune-teller,  or  believe  that  a  mesmer- 
ized patient  can  have  a  mental  perception  of 
scenes  and  occurrences  a  thousand  miles  away. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  superstition  in  the 
days  when  Alfred  was  called  to  the  throne,  and 
there  was  also,  with  it,  a  great  deal  of  genuine 
honest  piety.  The  piety  and  the  superstition, 
too,  were  inextricably  intermingled  and  com- 
bined together.  They  were  all  Catholics  then, 
yielding  an  implicit  obedience  to  the  Church  of 
Rome,  making  regular  contributions  in  money 
tc  sustain  the  papal  authority,  and  looking  to 
Rome  as  the  great  and  central  point  of  Christian 
influence  and  power,  and  the  object  of  supreme 

posited,  and  then  disappeared.  The  head  joined  itself  to  the 
body  again  where  it  had  been  severed,  leaving  only  a  purpla 
line  to  mark  the  place  of  separation. 


112  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  870 

Peter-pence.  Veneration  of  the  Catholic  Churefc 

veneration.  We  have  already  seen  that  the 
Saxons  had  established  a  seminary  at  Rome, 
which  King  Ethelwclf,  Alfred's  father,  rebuilt 
and  re-endowed.  One  of  the  former  Anglo. 
Saxon  kings,  too,  had  given  a  grant  of  one 
penny  from  every  house  in  the  kingdom  to  the 
successors  of  St.  Peter  at  Rome,  which  tax, 
though  nominally  small,  produced  a  very  con- 
siderable sum  in  the  aggregate,  exceeding  for 
many  years  the  royal  revenues  of  the  kings  of 
England.  It  continued  to  be  paid  down  to  the 
time  of  Henry  VIII.,  when  the  reformation 
swept  away  that,  and  all  the  other  national  ob- 
ligations of  England  to  the  Catholic  Church 
together. 

In  the  age  of  Alfred,  however,  there  were  no* 
only  these  public  acts  of  acknowledgment  rec- 
ognizing the  papal  supremacy,  but  there  was 
a  strong  tide  of  personal  and  private  feeling 
of  veneration  and  attachment  to  the  mother 
Church,  of  which  it  is  hard  for  us,  in  the  pres- 
ent divided  state  of  Christendom,  to  conceive. 
The  religious  thoughts  and  affections  of  every 
pious  heart  throughout  the  realm  centered  in 
Rome.  Rome,  too,  was  the  scene  of  many 
miracles,  by  which  the  imaginations  of  the 
superstitious  and  of  the  truly  devcut  were  ex- 


A.D.  870.]  STATE   OF   ENGLAND.  113 

Koaelm.  He  te  murdered  by  or  del  of  hla  slater 

cited,  which  impressed  them  with  an  idea  of 
power  in  which  they  felt  a  sort  of  confiding 
sense  of  protection.  This  power  was  contin- 
ually interposing,  now  in  one  way  and  now  in 
another,  to  protect  virtue,  to  punish  crime,  and 
to  testify  to  the  impious  and  to  the  devout,  to 
each  in  an  appropriate  way,  that  their  respective 
deeds  were  the  objects,  according  to  their  char 
acter,  of  the  displeasure  or  of  the  approbation 
of  Heaven. 

On  one  occ&«*ion,  the  following  incident  is 
said  to  have  occurred.  The  narration  of  it  will 
illustrate  the  ideas  of  the  time.  A  child  of 
about  seven  years  old,  named  Kenelm,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  throne  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  line. 
Being  too  young  to  act  for  himself,  he  was  put 
under  the  charge  of  a  sister,  who  was  to  act  as 
regent  until  the  boy  became  of  age.  The  sister, 
ambitious  of  making  the  power  thus  delegated 
to  her  entirely  her  own,  decided  on  destroying 
her  brother.  She  commissioned  a  hired  mur- 
derer to  perpetrate  the  deed.  The  murderer 
took  the  child  into  a  wood,  killed  him,  and  hid 
his  body  in  a  thicket,  in  a  certain  cow-pasture 
at  a  place  called  Clent.  The  sister  then  as. 
surued  the  scepter  in  her  own  name,  and  sup- 
pressed all  inquiries  in  respect  to  the  fate  of  hei 
24—8 


ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  870 

f  he  dove  and  the  writing.  The  body  found 

brother  ;  and  his  murder  might  have  remained 
forever  undiscovered,  had  it  not  been  miracu- 
lously revealed  at  Rome. 

A  white  dove  flew  into  a  church  there  one 
lay,  and  let  fall  upon  the  altar  of  St.  Peter  ft 
paper,  on  which  was  written,  in  Anglo-Saxon 
characters, 

In  (Blent  ffioto-ftatrt,  Bendme  fefnij  beam*,  lletj  untorr 
ff&orne,  bend  tereatort. 

For  a  time  nobody  could  read  the  writing. 
At  length  an  Anglo-Saxon  saw  it,  and  trans- 
lated it  into  Latin,  so  that  the  pope  and  al' 
others  could  understand  it.  The  pope  then 
sent  a  letter  to  the  authorities  in  England,  who 
made  search  and  found  the  body. 

But  we  must  end  these  digressions,  which  we 
have  indulged  thus  far  in  order  to  give  the 
reader  some  distinct  conception  of  the  ideas  and 
habits  of  the  times,  and  proceed,  in  the  next 
chapter,  to  relate  the  events  immediately  con- 
nected with  Alfred's  accession  to  the  throne. 


A.D.  871.]  ALFRED'S  ACCESSION.          115 

The  Dime*  at  Reading.  Situation  at  Reading 


CHAPTER   VI. 


A  T  the  battle  in  which  Alfred's  brother, 
-£*•  Ethelred,  whom  Alfred  succeeded  on  the 
throne,  was  killed,  as  is  briefly  mentioned  at  the 
close  of  chapter  fourth,  Alfred  himself,  then  a 
brave  and  energetic  young  man,  fought  by  his 
side.  The  party  of  Danes  whom  they  were  con- 
tending against  in  this  fatal  fight  was  the  same 
one  that  came  out  in  the  expedition  organized 
by  the  sons  of  Lothbroc,  and  whose  exploits  in 
destroying  monasteries  and  convents  were  de- 
scribed in  the  last  chapter.  Soon  after  the 
events  there  narrated,  this  formidable  body  of 
marauders  moved  westward,  toward  that  part 
of  the  kingdom  where  the  dominions  more  par- 
ticularly pertaining  to  the  family  of  .Alfred  lay. 
There  was  in  those  days  a  certain  stronghold 
or  castle  on  the  River  Thames,  about  forty  miles 
west  from  London,  which  was  not  far  from  the 
confines  of  Ethelred's  dominions.  The  large 
and  populous  town  of  Reading  now  stands  upon 
the  spot.  It  is  at  the  confluence  of  the  Rirei 


116  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 

fbe  Danish  eactle.  Ethelred  marches  agminit  the  Danet 

Thames  with  the  Kennet,  a  small  branch  of  the 
Thames,  which  here  flows  into  it  from  the  south 
The  spot,  having  the  waters  of  the  rivers  for  a 
defense  upon  two  sides  of  it,  was  easily  fortified. 
A  castle  had  been  built  there,  and,  as  usual  in 
such  cases,  a  town  had  sprung  up  about  the 
walls. 

The  Danes  advanced  to  this  stronghold  and 
took  possession  of  it,  and  they  made  it  for  some 
time  their  head-quarters.  It  was  at  once  the 
center  from  which  they  carried  on  their  enter- 
prises in  all  directions  about  the  island,  and  the 
refuge  to  which  they  could  always  retreat  when 
defeated  and  pursued.  In  the  possession  of  such 
a  fastness,  they,  of  course,  became  more  formi- 
dable than  ever.  King  Ethelred  determined  to 
dislodge  them.  He  raised,  accordingly,  as  large 
a  force  as  his  kingdom  would  furnish,  and,  taking 
his  brother  Alfred  as  his  second  in  command,  he 
advanced  toward  Reading  in  a  very  resolute  and 
determin  xl  manner. 

He  first  encountered  a  large  body  of  the  Danes 
^ho  were  out  on  a  marauding  excursion.  This 
party  consisted  only  of  a  small  detachment,  the 
main  body  of  the  army  of  the  Danes  having  been 
left  at  Reading  to  strengthen  and  complete  the 
fortifications.  They  were  digging  a  trench  from 


A.D.871.J  ALFRED'S  ACCESSIOH.          117 

Fho  Dane*  fortify  their  cartle.  They  are  defeated 

river  to  river,  so  as  completely  to  insulate  the 
castle,  and  make  it  entirely  inaccessible  on  ei- 
ther side  except  by  boats  or  a  bridge.  With  the 
earth  thrown  out  of  the  trench  they  were  mak- 
ing an  embankment  on  the  Inner  side,  so  that 
on  enemy,  after  crossing  the  ditch,  would  have 
a  steep  ascent  to  climb,  defended  too,  as  of 
course  it  would  be  in  such  an  emergency,  by 
long  lines  of  desperate  men  upon  the  top,  hurl- 
big  at  the  assailants  showers  of  javelins  and  ar- 
rows. 

While,  therefore,  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
Danes  were  at  work  within  and  around  theii 
castle,  to  make  it  as  nearly  as  possible  impreg- 
nable as  a  place  of  defense,  the  detachment 
above  referred  to  had  gone  forth  for  plunder, 
under  the  command  of  some  of  the  bolder  and 
more  adventurous  spirits  in  the  horde.  This 
party  Ethelred  overtook.  A  furious  battle  was 
fought.  The  Danes  were  defeated,  and  driven 
off  the  ground.  They  fled  toward  Reading. 
Ethelred  and  Alfred  pursued  them.  The  vari- 
ous parties  of  Danes  that  were  outside  of  the 
fortifications,  employed  in  completing  the  out- 
works, or  encamped  in  the  neighborhood,  were 
surprised  and  slaughtered ;  or,  at  least,  vast 
numbers  of  them  were  killed,  and  the  rest  re- 


118  ALFRED   THE    GREAT.    [A.JD.  871. 

Defeat  of  the  Saxon*  Preparations  for  another  battle. 

treated  within  the  works — all  maddened  at  thoir 
defeat,  and  burning  with  desire  for  revenge. 

The  Saxons  were  not  strong  enough  to  dis 
possess  them  of  their  fastness.  On  the  contra* 
ry,  in  a  few  days,  the  Danes,  having  matured 
their  plans,  made  a  desperate  sally  against  the 
Saxons,  and,  after  a  very  determined  and  ob- 
stinate conflict,  they  gained  the  victory,  and 
drove  the  Saxons  off  the  ground.  Some  of  the 
leading  Saxon  chieftains  were  killed,  and  the 
whole  country  was  thrown  into  great  alarm  at 
the  danger  which  was  impending,  that  the 
Danes  would  soon  gain  the  complete  and  un- 
disputed possession  of  the  whole  land. 

The  Saxons,  however,  were  not  yet  prepared 
to  give  up  the  struggle.  They  rallied  their 
forces,  gathered  new  recruits,  reorganized  theii 
ranks,  and  made  preparations  for  another  strug- 
gle. The  Danes,  too,  feeling  fresh  strength 
and  energy  in  consequence  of  their  successes, 
formed  themselves  in  battle  array,  and,  leaving 
their  strong-hold,  they  marched  out  into  thfl 
open  country  in  pursuit  of  their  foe.  The  two 
armies  gradually  approached  each  other  and 
prepared  for  battle.  Every  thing  portended  a 
terrible  conflict,  which  was  to  be,  in  fact,  the 
great  final  struggle. 


A.D.87L]  ALFRED'S  ACCESSION. 

iEscesdune.  The  night  before  the  battle 

The  place  where  the  armies  met  was  called 
in  those  times  JBscesdune,  which  means  Ash- 
dc  wn  It  was.  in  fact,  a  hill-side  covered  with 
ash  trees.  The  name  has  become  shortened 
%nd  softened  in  the  course  of  the  ten  centuries 
which  have  intervened  since  this  celebrated  bat- 
tle, into  Aston ;  if,  indeed,  as  is  generally  sup- 
posed, the  Aston  of  the  present  day  is  the  local- 
ity of  the  ancient  battle. 

The  armies  came  into  the  vicinity  of  each 
other  toward  the  close  of  the  day.  They  were 
both  eager  for  the  contest,  or,  at  least,  they  pre- 
tended to  be  so,  but  they  waited  until  the  morn- 
ing. The  Danes  divided  their  forces  into  two 
bodies.  Two  kings  commanded  one  division, 
and  certain  chieftains,  called  earls,  directed  the 
other.  King  Ethelred  undertook  to  meet  this 
order  of  battle  by  a  corresponding  distribution 
of  his  own  troops,  and  he  gave,  accordingly,  to 
Alfred  the  command  of  one  division,  while  he 
himself  was  to  lead  the  other.  All  things  being 
thus  arranged,  the  hum  and  bustle  of  the  two 
great  encampments  subsided  at  last,  at  a  late 
hour,  as  the  men  sought  repose  under  their  rude 
tents,  in  preparation  for  the  fatigues  and  expo- 
sures of  the  coming  day.  Some  slept ;  others 
watched  restlessly,  and  talked  together,  sleep- 


120  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 871 

Alfred  musters  his  men.  Ethelred'i  religious  serrioM 

less  under  the  influence  of  that  strange  excite- 
ment, half  exhilaration  and  half  fear,  which  pre- 
vails in  a  camp  on  the  eve  of  a  battle.  The 
camp  fires  burned  brightly  all  the  night,  and 
the  sentinels  kept  vigilant  watch,  expecting  ev- 
ery moment  some  sudden  alarm. 

The  night  passed  quietly  away.  Ethelred 
and  Alfred  both  arose  early.  Alfred  went  out 
to  arouse  and  muster  the  men  in  his  division 
of  the  encampment,  and  to  prepare  for  battle. 
Ethelred,  on  the  other  hand,  sent  for  his  priest, 
and,  assembling  the  officers  in  immediate  at- 
tendance upon  him,  commenced  divine  service 
in  his  tent — the  service  of  the  mass,  according 
to  the  forms  and  usages  which,  even  in  thaL^ 
early  day,  were  prescribed  by  the  Catholic 
Church.  Alfred  was  thus  bent  on  immediate 
and  energetic  action,  while  Ethelred  thought 
that  the  hour  for  putting  forth  the  exertion  of 
human  strength  did  not  come  until  time  had 
been  allowed  for  completing,  in  the  most  delib- 
erate and  solemn  manner,  the  work  of  implor- 
ing the  protection  of  Heaven. 

Ethelred  seems  by  his  conduct  on  this  occa- 
sion to  have  inherited  from  his  father,  even 
more  than  Alfred,  the  spirit  of  religious  devo- 
tion at  least  so  far  as  the  strict  and  faith fu' 


A..JD.  871.]  ALFRED'S  ACCESSION.          121 

Reason  for  divine  se:  vice.  The  war  a  religious  one 

observance  of  religious  forms  was  concerned 
There  was,  it  is  true,  a  particular  reason  in  this 
case  why  the  forms  of  divine  service  should  be 
faithfully  observed,  and  that  is,  that  the  war 
was  considered  in  a  great  measure  a  religious 
war.  The  Danes  were  pagans.  The  Saxons 
were  Christians.  In  making  their  attacks  upon 
the  dominions  of  Ethelred,  the  ruthless  invaders 
were  animated  by  a  special  hatred  of  the  name 
of  Christ,  and  they  evinced  a  special  hostility 
toward  every  edifice,  or  institution,  or  observ- 
ance which  bore  the  Christian  name.  The 
Saxons,  therefore,  in  resisting  them,  felt  that 
they  were  not  only  fighting  for  their  own  pos- 
sessions and  for  their  own  lives,  but  that  they 
were  defending  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  that 
he,  looking  down  from  his  throne  in  the  heavens, 
regarded  them  as  the  champions  of  his  cause; 
and,  consequently,  that  he  would  either  protect 
them  in  the  struggle,  or,  if  they  fell,  that  he 
would  receive  them  to  mansions  of  special  glory 
and  happiness  in  heaven,  as  martyrs  who  had 
shed  their  blood  in  his  service  and  for  his  glory. 
Taking  this  view  of  the  subject,  Ethelred, 
instead  of  going  out  to  battle  at  the  early  dawn, 
collected  his  officers  into  his  tent,  and  formed 
them  into  a  religious  congregation.  Alfred,  on 


122  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  871. 

Alfred's  impetuosity.  Hit  great  ability 

the  other  hand,  full  of  impetuosity  and  ardor, 
was  arousing  his  men,  animating  them  by  his 
words  of  encouragement  and  by  the  influence 
of  his  example,  and  making,  as  energetically  as 
possible,  all  the  preparations  necessary  for  the 
approaching  conflict. 

In  fact,  Alfred,  though  his  brother  was  king, 
and  he  himself  only  a  lieutenant  general  under 
him,  had  been  accustomed  to  take  the  lead  ir 
all  the  military  operations  of  the  army,  on  ac- 
count of  the  superior  energy,  resolution,  and 
tact  which  he  evinced,  even  in  this  early  period 
of  his  life.  His  brothers,  though  they  retained 
the  scepter,  as  it  fell  successively  into  their 
hands,  relied  mainly  on  his  wisdom  and  cour- 
age in  all  their  efforts  to  defend  it,  and  Ethelred 
may  have  been  somewhat  more  at  his  ease,  in 
listening  to  the  priest's  prayers  in  his  tent,  from 
knowing  that  the  arrangements  for  marshaling 
and  directing  a  large  part  of  the  force  were  in 
such  good  hands. 

The  two  encampments  of  Alfred  and  EtheK 
red  seem  to  have  been  at  some  little  distance 
from  each  other.  Alfred  was  impatient  at  Eth- 
elred's  delay.  He  asked  the  reason  for  it. 
They  told  him  that  Ethelred  was  attending 
mass,  and  that  he  had  said  he  should  on  no  ac- 


A.D.  871.]  ALFRED'S  ACCESSION          123 

Battle  of  .Etcesduae.  Flight  of  the  Danes 

count  leave  his  tent  until  the  servio"  was  con- 
cluded. Alfred,  in  the  mean  time,  took  pos- 
session of  a  gentle  elevation  of  land,  which  now 
would  give  him  an  advantage  in  the  conflict. 
A  single  thorn-tree,  growing  there  alone,  marked 
ihe  spot.  The  Danes  advanced  to  attack  him, 
expecting  that,  as  he  was  not  sustained  by  Eth- 
elred's  division  of  the  army,  he  would  be  easily 
overpowered  and  driven  from  his  post. 

Alfred  himself  felt  an  extreme  and  feverish 
anxiety  at  Ethelred's  delay.  He  fought,  how- 
ever, with  the  greatest  determination  and  brav- 
ery. The  thorn-tree  continued  to  be  the  center 
of  the  conflict  for  a  long  time,  and,  as  the  morn- 
ing  advanced,  it  became  more  and  more  doubt- 
ful how  it  would  end.  At  last,  Ethelred,  having 
finished  his  devotional  services,  came  forth  from 
his  camp  at  the  head  of  his  division,  and  ad- 
vanced vigorously  to  his  faltering  brother's  aid. 
This  soon  decided  the  contest.  The  Danes  were 
overpowered  and  put  to  flight.  They  fled  at 
first  in  all  directions,  wherever  each  separate 
band  saw  the  readiest  prospect  of  escape  from 
the  immediate  vengeance  of  their  pursuers. 
They  soon,  however,  all  began  with  one  accord 
to  seek  the  roads  which  would  conduct  them  tc 
their  stronghold  at  Reading.  They  were  madly 


124  ALFRED    THE    GREAT.  [A.D.  871 

Remit*  of  the  battle.  Alfred  and  Ethelred 

pursued,  and  massacred  as  they  fled,  by  Alfred's 
and  Ethelred's  army.  Vast  numbers  fell.  The 
remnant  secured  their  retreat,  shut  themselves 
ap  within  their  walls,  and  began  to  devote  their 
eager  and  earnest  attention  to  the  work  of  re- 
pairing and  making  good  their  defenses. 

This  victory  changed  for  the  time  being  the 
whole  face  of  affairs,  and  led,  in  various  ways, 
to  very  important  consequences,  the  most  im- 
portant of  which  was,  as  we  shall  presently  see, 
that  it  was  the  means  indirectly  of  bringing 
Alfred  soon  to  the  throne.  As  to  the  cause  of 
the  victory,  or,  rather,  the  manner  in  which  it 
was  accomplished,  the  writers  of  the  times  give 
very  different  accounts,  according  as  their  re- 
spective characters  incline  them  to  commend,  in 
man,  a  feeling  of  quiet  trust  and  confidence  in 
God  when  placed  in  circumstances  of  difficulty 
or  danger,  or  a  vigorous  and  resolute  exertion 
uf  his  own  powers.  Alfred  looked  for  deliver- 
ance to  the  determined  assaults  and  heavy  blows 
which  he  could  bring  to  bear  upon  his  pagan 
enemies  with  weapons  of  steel  around  the  thorn- 
tree  in  the  field.  Ethelred  trusted  to  his  hope 
of  obtaining,  by  his  prayers  in  his  tent,  the  ef- 
fectual protection  of  Heaven ;  and  they  who  have 
written  the  story  differ,  as  they  who  read  it  will 


A.D.  871.]  ALFRED'S  ACCESSION.          125 

rke  old  chronics*.  "Hie  locality  of  the  battia 

on  the  question  to  whose  instrumentality  the 
victory  is  to  be  ascribed.  One  says  that  Alfred 
gained  it  by  his  sword.  Another,  that  Alfred 
exerted  his  strength  and  his  valor  in  vain,  and 
was  saved  from  defeat  and  destruction  only  by 
the  intervention  of  Ethelred,  bringing  with  him 
the  blessing  of  Heaven. 

In  fact,  the  various  narratives  of  these  ancient 
events,  which  are  found  at  the  present  day  in  the 
old  chronicles  that  record  them,  differ  always 
very  essentially,  not  only  in  respect  to  matters 
of  opinion,  and  to  the  point  of  view  in  which 
they  are  to  be  regarded,  but  also  in  respect  to 
questions  of  fact.  Even  the  place  where  this 
battle  was  fought,  notwithstanding  what  we 
have  said  about  the  derivation  of  Aston  from 
^Escesdune,  is  not  absolutely  certain.  There 
is  in  the  same  vicinity  another  town,  called  Ash- 
bury,  which  claims  the  honor.  One  reason  for 
supposing  that  this  last  is  the  true  locality  is 
that  there  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  monu- 
ment here,  which,  tradition  says,  was  a  monu- 
ment built  to  commemorate  the  death  of  a  Dan* 
ish  chieftain  slain  here  by  Alfred.  Theie  is 
also  in  the  neighborhood  another  very  singular 
monument,  called  The  White  Horse,  which  also 
nas  the  reputation  of  having  been  fashioned  to 


126  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  871, 

The  White  Hone.  Death  of  Ethelrsi 

commemorate  Alfred's  victories.  The  White 
Horse  is  a  rude  representation  of  a  horse,  formed 
by  cutting  away  the  turf  from  the  steep  slope 
of  a  hill,  so  as  to  expose  a  portion  of  the  white 
surface  of  the  chalky  rock  below  of  such  a  form 
that  the  figure  is  called  a  horse,  though  they 
who  see  it  seem  to  think  it  might  as  well  have 
been  called  a  dog.  The  name,  however,  of  The 
White  Horse  has  come  down  with  it  from  an- 
cient times,  and  the  hill  on  which  it  is  cut  is 
known  as  The  White  Horse  Hill.  Some  ingeni 
one  antiquarians  think  they  find  evidence  that 
this  gigantic  profile  was  made  to  commemorate 
the  victory  obtained  by  Alfred  and  Ethelred  over 
the  Danes  at  the  ancient  ^Escesdune. 

However  this  may  be,  and  whatever  view  we 
may  take  of  the  comparative  influence  of  Al- 
fred's energetic  action  and  Ethelred's  religious 
faith  in  the  defeat  of  the  Danes  at  this  great 
battle,  it  is  certain  that  the  results  of  it  were 
very  momentous  to  all  concerned.  Ethelred 
received  a  wound,  either  in  this  battle  or  in 
some  of  the  smaller  contests  and  collision* 
which  followed  it,  under  the  effects  of  which  he 
pined  and  lingered  for  some  months,  and  then 
died.  Alfred,  by  his  decision  and  courage  on 
the  day  of  th«  battle,  and  by  the  ardor  and  res- 


A.D. 871.J  ALFRED'S  ACCESSION.          12? 

Alfred's  popularity.  He  is  selected  to  succeed  Ethelred 

olution  with  which  he  pressed  all  the  subse- 
quent operations  during  the  period  of  Ethel- 
red's  decline,  made  himself  still  more  conspicu- 
ous in  the  eyes  of  his  countrymen  than  he  had 
ever  been  before.  In  looking  forward  to  Ethel- 
red's  approaching  death,  the  people,  according- 
ly, began  to  turn  their  eyes  to  Alfred  as  his 
successor.  There  were  children  of  some  of  his 
older  brothers  living  at  that  time,  and  they,  ac- 
cording to  all  received  principles  of  hereditary 
right,  would  naturally  succeed  to  the  throne ; 
but  the  nation  seems  to  have  thought  that  the 
crisis  was  too  serious,  and  the  dangers  which 
threatened  their  country  were  too  imminent,  to 
justify  putting  any  child  upon  the  throne.  The 
accession  of  one  of  those  children  would  have 
been  the  signal  for  a  terrible  and  protracted 
struggle  among  powerful  relatives  and  friends 
for  the  regency  during  the  minority  of  the 
youthful  sovereign,  and  this,  while  the  Danes 
remained  in  their  strong-hold  at  Reading,  in 
daily  expectation  of  new  re-enforcements  from 
beyond  the  sea,  would  have  plunged  the  conn* 
try  in  hopeless  ruin.  They  turned  their  eyes 
toward  Alfred,  therefore,  as  the  sovereign  to 
whom  they  were  to  bow  so  goon  as  Etholred 
should  cease  to  breathe. 


!28  A.LFRED    THE    GREAT.    [A.D.871 

The  Danes  strengthen  themselves.  Their  racceMM 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Danes,  far  from  being 
subdued  by  the  adverse  turn  of  fortune  which 
had  befallen  them,  strengthened  themselves  in 
their  fortress,  made  desperate  sallies  from  theii 
tntrenchments,  attacked  their  foes  on  every  pos- 
sible occasion,  and  kept  the  country  in  contin- 
ual alarm.  They  at  length  so  far  recruited 
their  strength,  and  intimidated  and  discouraged 
their  foes,  whose  king  and  nominal  leader,  Eth- 
elred,  was  now  less  able  than  ever  to  resist 
them,  as  to  take  the  field  again.  They  fought 
more  pitched  battles ;  and,  though  the  Saxon 
chroniclers  who  narrate  these  events  are  very 
reluctant  to  admit  that  the  Saxons  were  really 
vanquished  in  these  struggles,  they  allow  that 
the  Danes  kept  the  ground  which  they  success- 
ively took  post  upon,  and  the  discouraged  and 
disheartened  inhabitants  of  the  country  were 
forced  to  retire. 

In  the  mean  time,  too,  new  parties  of  Danes 
were  continually  arriving  on  the  coast,  and 
spreading  themselves  in  marauding  and  plun- 
dering excursions  over  the  country.  The  Dan<* 
at  Reading  were  re-enforced  by  thes^  oands, 
which  made  the  conflict  between  them  and  Eth- 
eired's  forces  more  unequal  still  Alirea  did 
his  utmost  to  resist  the  tide  of  ill  fortune,  with 
the  limited  and  doubtful  authority  which  he 


129 


)eath  of  Ethelred.  Hia  burial  at  Wlmborn* 

helil  ;  but  all  was  in  vain.  Etheired,  worn 
down,  probably,  with  the  anxiety  and  depres- 
sion which  the  situation  of  his  kingdom  brought 
npon  him,  lingered  for  a  time,  and  then  died, 
End  Alfred  was  by  general  consent  called  to 
the  throne.  This  was  in  the  year  871. 

It  was  a  matter  of  moment  to  find  a  safe  and 
secure  place  of  deposit  for  the  body  of  Ethelred, 
who,  as  a  Christian  slain  in  contending  with 
^gans,  was  to  be  considered  a  martyr.  His 
memory  was  honored  as  that  of  one  who  had 
sacrificed  his  life  in  defense  of  the  Christian 
faith.  They  knew  very  well  that  even  his  life- 
less remains  would  not  be  safe  from  the  venge- 
ance of  his  foes  unless  they  were  placed  effect- 
ually beyond  the  reach  of  these  desperate  ma- 
rauders. There  was,  far  to  the  south,  in  Dor- 
setshire, on  the  southern  coast  of  England,  a 
monastery,  at  Wimborne,  a  very  sacred  SfX>t. 
worthy  to  be  selected  as  a  place  of  royal  sepul 
ture.  The  spot  has  continued  sacred  to  tra 
present  day  ;  and  it  has  now  uoon  the  site,  as 
is  supposed,  of  the  ancient  monastery,  a  grand 
cathedral  church  or  minster,  full  of  monuments 
af  former  days,  and  impressing  all  beholders 
with  its  solemn  architectural  grandeur.  Here 

they  conveyed  the  body  of  Ethelred  and  inter 
24—  9 


130  ALFRED  THE  (JTREAT.  [AD.  871 

The  inscription.  Doubt*  In  regard  to  Ethelred'i  dealt 

red  it.  It  was  a  place  of  sacred  seclusion,  where 
there  reigned  a  solemn  stillness  and  awe,  which 
no  Christian  hostility  would  ever  have  dared 
to  disturb.  The  sacrilegious  paganism  of  the 
Danes,  however,  would  have  respected  it  but 
little,  if  they  had  ever  found  access  to  it ;  out 
they  did  not.  The  body  of  Ethelred  remained 
undisturbed;  and,  many  centuries  afterward, 
some  travelers  who  visited  the  spot  recorded  the 
fact  that  there  was  a  monument  there  with  this 
inscription : 

"IN  HOC  LOCO  QUIESCTT  CORPUS  ETHELREDI 
REGIS  WEST  SAXONUM,  MARTYRIS.  QUI  ANNO  DOM 
INI  DCCCLXXI.,  XXIII.  APRILIS,  PER  MANUS  DANO 
RUM  PAGANORUM,  OCCUBUIT."* 

Such  is  the  commonly  received  opinion  of  the 
death  of  Ethelred.  And  yet  some  of  the  crit- 
ical historians  of  modern  times,  who  find  cause 
to  doubt  or  disbelieve  a  very  large  portion  of 
what  is  stated  in  ancient  records,  attempt  to 
prove  that  Ethelred  was  not  killed  by  the  Danes 
at  all,  but  that  he  died  of  the  plague,  which 
terrible  disease  was  at  that  time  prevailing  in 
that  part  of  England.  At  all  events,  he  di(id| 
and  Alfred,  his  brother,  was  called  to  reign  in 
his  stead. 

•  "  Here  rests  the  body  of  Ethelred,  king  of  West  Saxony 
the  Martyr,  who  died  by  the  hands  of  the  pagan  Dane*,  ^» 
in  the  year  of  o>ir  T,n>v4  871  " 


A.P.  871.J  REVERSES 


Alfred's  reluctance  to  receire  the  crown.  ffij  nephew 


CHAPTEB    VII. 
REVERSES. 

fl^HE  historians  say  that  Alfred  was  very  un- 
-*-  willing  to  assume  the  crown  when  the 
death  of  Ethelred  presented  it  to  him.  If  it 
had  been  an  object  of  ambition  or  desire,  there 
would  probably  have  been  a  rival  claimant, 
whose  right  would  perhaps  have  proved  supe- 
rior to  his  own,  since  it  appears  that  one  or 
\iore  of  the  brothers  who  reigned  before  him 
left  a  son,  whose  claim  to  the  inheritance,  if 
the  inheritance  had  been  worth  claiming,  would 
have  been  stronger  than  that  of  their  uncle 
The  son  of  the  oldest  son  takes  precedence  al 
ways  of  the  brother,  for  hereditary  rights,  like 
water,  never  move  laterally  so  long  as  they  can 
oontinue  to  descend. 

The  nobles,  however,  and  chieftains,  and  all 
the  leading  powers  of  the  kingdom  of  Wessex, 
whish  was  the  particular  kingdom  which  de- 
scended from  Alfred's  ancestors,  united  to  urge 
Alfred  to  take  the  throne.  His  father  had,  b> 
deed,  designated  him  as  the  successor  of  hia 


135?  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  871 

Etfaelred's  funeral.  Coronation  of  Alfred  at  Winchetter 

brothers  by  his  will,  though  how  far  a  monarch 
may  properly  control  by  his  will  the  disposal 
of  his  realm,  is  a  matter  of  groat  uncertainty 
Alfred  yielded  at  length  to  these  solicitations, 
and  determined  on  assuming  the  sovereign 
power.  He  first  went  to  Wimborne  to  attend 
to  the  funeral  solemnities  which  were  to  be  ob- 
served at  his  royal  brother's  burial.  He  then 
went  to  Winchester,  which,  as  well  as  Wim- 
borne, is  in  the  south  of  England,  to  be  crowned 
and  anointed  king.  Winchester  was,  even  in 
those  early  days,  a  great  ecclesiastical  center. 
It  was  for  some  time  the  capital  of  the  West 
Saxon  realm.  It  was  a  very  sacred  place,  and 
the  crown  was  there  placed  upon  Alfred's  head, 
with  the  most  imposing  and  solemn  ceremonies. 
It  is  a  curious  and  remarkable  fact,  that  the 
spots  which  were  consecrated  in  those  early 
days  by  the  religious  establishments  of  the  times, 
have  preserved  in  almost  every  case  their  sacred- 
ness  to  the  present  day.  Winchester  is  now 
famed  all  over  England  for  its  great  Cathedral 
church,  and  the  vast  religious  establishment 
which  has  its  seat  there — the  annual  revenues 
and  expenditures  of  which  far  exceed  those  of 
many  of  the  states  of  this  Union.  The  income 
of  the  bishop  alone  was  for  many  years  double 


COBON&TION  CHAIB. 


A..D.  871.]  REVERSES.  135 

rbe  Bishop  of  Winchester.         Alfred  takes  the  field  against  the  Dane* 

that  of  the  salary  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  The  Bishop  of  Winchester  is  widely 
celebrated,  therefore,  all  over  England,  for  his 
wealth  his  ecclesiastical  power,  the  architec- 
tural grandeur  of  the  Cathedral  church,  and  the 
wealth  and  importance  of  the  college  of  eccle- 
siastics over  which  he  presides. 

It  was  in  Winchester  that  Alfred  was  crown- 
ed. As  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  performed, 
he  took  the  field,  collected  his  forces,  and  went 
to  meet  the  Danes  again.  He  found  the  coun- 
try in  a  most  deplorable  condition.  The  Danes 
Bad  extended  and  strengthened  their  positions. 
They  had  got  possession  of  many  of  the  towns, 
and,  not  content  with  plundering  castles  and 
abbeys,  they  had  seized  lands,  and  were  be- 
ginning to  settle  upon  them,  as  if  they  intended 
to  make  Alfred's  new  kingdom  their  permanent 
abode.  The  forces  of  the  Saxons,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  scattered  and  discouraged.  There 
seemed  no  hope  left  to  them  of  making  head 
igainst  their  pestiferous  invaders.  If  they  were 
lefeated,  their  cruel  conquerors  showed  no  mod* 
oration  and  no  mercy  in  their  victory ;  and  if 
they  conquered,  it  was  only  to  suppress  for  a 
moment  one  horde,  with  a  certainty  of  being 
attacked  immediately  by  another,  more  recently 


136  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  871 

Battle  at  Wilton.  Defeat  of  Alfred 

arrived,  and   more  determined  and   relentless 
than  those  before  them. 

Alfred  succeeded,  however,  by  means  of  the 
Influence  of  his  personal  character,  and  by  the 
very  active  and  efficient  exertions  that  he  made; 
in  concentrating  what  forces  remained,  and  in 
preparing  for  a  renewal  of  the  contest.  The 
first  great  battle  that  was  fought  was  at  Wilt- 
on. This  was  within  a  month  of  his  accession 
to  the  throne.  The  battle  was  very  obstinately 
fought ;  at  the  first  onset  Alfred's  troops  carried 
all  before  them,  and  there  was  every  prospect 
that  he  would  win  the  day.  In  the  end,  how- 
ever, the  tide  of  victory  turned  in  favor  of  the 
Danes,  and  Alfred  and  his  troops  were  driven 
from  the  field.  There  was  an  immense  loss  on 
both  sides.  In  fact,  both  armies  were,  for  the 
time,  pretty  effectually  disabled,  and  each  seems 
to  have  shrunk  from  a  renewal  of  the  contest 
Instead,  therefore,  of  fighting  again,  the  two 
commanders  entered  into  negotiations.  Hubba 
was  the  name  of  the  Danish  chieftain.  In  the 
end,  he  made  a  treaty  with  Alfred,  by  which  he 
agreed  to  retire  from  Alfred's  dominions,  and 
leave  him  in  peace,  provided  that  Alfred  would 
not  interfere  with  him  in  his  wars  in  any  othei 
part  of  Eng.and.  Alfred's  kingdom  was  Wes- 


A.D.87&|  REVERSES.  137 

Treaty  with  the  Dane*.  They  much  tat»  Merci* 

sex  Besides  "Wessex,  there  was  Essex,  Meroia, 
and  Northumberland.  Hubba  and  his  Danes, 
finding  that  Alfred  was  likely  to  prove  too  formi- 
dable an  antagonist  for  them  easily  to  subdue, 
thought  it  would  be  most  prudent  to  give  up 
one  kingdom  out  of  the  four,  on  condition  of  not 
having  Alfred  to  contend  against  in  their  depre- 
dations upon  the  other  three.  They  according- 
ly made  the  treaty,  and  the  Danes  withdrew. 
They  evacuated  their  posts  and  strong-holds  in 
Wessex,  and  went  down  the  Thames  to  Lon- 
don, which  was  in  Mercia,  and  there  commenced 
a  new  course  of  conquest  and  plunder,  where 
they  had  no  such  powerful  foe  to  oppose  them. 
Buthred  was  the  king  of  Mercia.  He  could 
not  resist  Hubba  and  his  Danes  alone,  and  he 
could  not  now  have  Alfred's  assistance.  Alfred 
was  censured  very  much  at  the  time,  and  has 
been  condemned  often  since,  for  having  thus 
made  a  separate  peace  for  himself  and  his  own 
immediate  dominions,  and  abandoned  his  nat> 
nral  allies  and  friends,  the  people  of  the  othei 
Saxon  kingdoms.  To  make  a  peace  with  sav- 
age and  relentless  pagans,  on  the  express  con- 
dition  of  leaving  his  fellow-Christian  neighbors 
at  their  mercy,  has  been  considered  ungenerous, 
*t  least,  if  it  was  not  unjust.  On  the  othei 


138  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.874 

Buthred'i  misfortunes.  He  buys  off  the  Dane* 

hand,  those  who  vindicate  his  conduct  maintain 
that  it  was  his  duty  to  secure  the  peace  and 
wei/are  of  his  own  realm,  leaving  other  sover- 
eigns to  take  care  of  theirs ;  and  that  he  wr  aid 
have  done  very  wrong  to  sacrifice  the  property 
and  lives  of  his  own  immediate  subjects  to  a 
mere  point  of  honor,  when  it  was  utterly  out  of 
his  power  to  protect  them  and  his  neighbors  too. 
However  this  may  be,  Buthred,  finding  that 
he  could  not  have  Alfred's  aid,  and  that  hb 
could  not  protect  his  kingdom  by  any  force 
which  he  could  himself  bring  into  the  field,  tried 
negotiations  too,  and  he  succeeded  in  buying 
off  the  Danes  with  money.  He  paid  them  a 
large  sum,  on  condition  of  their  leaving  his  do- 
minions finally  and  forever,  and  not  coming  to 
molest  him  any  more.  Such  a  measure  as  this 
is  always  a  very  desperate  and  hopeless  one. 
Buying  off  robbers,  or  beggars,  or  false  accus- 
ers, or  oppressors  of  any  kind,  is  only  to  encour- 
age them  to  come  again,  after  a  brief  interval, 
under  some  frivolous  pretext,  with  fresh  de- 
r.ands  or  new  oppressions,  that  they  may  be 
Dought  off  again  with  higher  pay.  At  least 
Buthred  found  it  so  in  this  case.  Hubba  went 
northward  for  a  time,  into  the  kingdom  of  Nor- 
thumberland, and,  after  various  conquests  and 


A.D.874.1  REVERSES.  139 

Buthred'f  unhappy  end.  Ceolwnlf 

plunderings  there,  he  came  back  again  into 
Mereia,  on  the  plea  that  there  was  a  scarcity 
of  provisions  in  the  northern  kingdom,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  come  back.  Buthred  bought 
him  off  again  with  a  larger  sum  of  money. 
Hubba  scarcely  left  the  kingdom  this  time,  but 
spent  the  money  with  his  army,  in  carousings 
and  excesses,  and  then  went  to  robbing  and 
plundering  as  before.  Buthred,  at  last,  reduced 
to  despair,  and  seeing  no  hope  of  escape  from 
the  terrible  pest  with  which  his  kingdom  was 
infested,  abandoned  the  country  and  escaped  to 
Rome.  They  received  him  as  an  exiled  mon- 
arch, in  the  Saxon  school,  where  he  soon  after 
died  a  prey  to  grief  and  despair. 

The  Danes  overturned  what  remained  of 
Buthred's  government.  They  destroyed  a  fa- 
mous mausoleum,  the  ancient  burial  place  of 
the  Mercian  kings.  This  devastation  of  the 
abodes  of  tha  *^ead  was  a  sort  of  recreation — a 
savage  amusement,  to  vary  the  more  serious  and 
dangerous  excitements  attending  their  contests 
with  the  living.  They  found  an  officer  of 
Buthred's  government  named  Ceolwulf,  who,, 
though  a  Saxon,  was  willing,  through  his  love 
of  place  and  power,  to  accept  of  the  office  of 
king  in  subordination  to  the  Danes,  and  hold 


140  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  874. 


Halfden  arrive!  la  Engiand.  Alfred'*  cast>  at  Wareham. 

it  at  their  disposal,  paying  an  annual  tribute 
to  them.  Ceolwulf  was  execrated  by  his  coun- 
trymen, who  considered  him  a  traitor.  He,  is 
his  turn,  oppressed  and  tyrannized  over  them. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  new  leader,  with  a  fresh 
horde  of  Danes,  had  landed  in  England.  His 
name  was  Halfden.  Halfden  came  with  a  con- 
siderable fleet  of  ships,  and,  after  landing  his 
men,  and  performing  various  exploits  and  en* 
countering  various  adventures  in  other  parts  of 
England,  he  began  to  turn  his  thoughts  toward 
Alfred's  dominions.  Alfred  did  not  pay  par- 
ticular attention  to  Halfden's  movements  at 
first,  as  he  supposed  that  his  treaty  with  Hubba 
had  bound  the  whole  nation  of  the  Danes  not 
to  encroach  upon  his  realm,  whatever  they 
might  do  in  respect  to  the  other  Saxon  king- 
doms. Alfred  had  a  famous  castle  at  Ware- 
ham,  on  the  southern  coast  of  the  island.  It 
was  situated  on  a  bay  which  lies  in  what  is  now 
Dorsetshire.  This  castle  was  the  strongest 
place  in  his  dominions.  It  was  garrisoned  and 
guarded,  but  not  with  any  special  vigilance,  ag 
no  one  expected  an  attack  upon  it.  Halfden 
brought  his  fleet  to  the  southern  shore  of  the 
island,  and,  organizing  an  expedition  there,  he 
put  to  sea,  and  before  any  one  suspected  his  de- 


A.D  S74.J  REVERSES.  143 

Wareham  Castle  taken  by  Halfden  ConteBti  «nd  trace* 

sign,  he  entered  the  bay,  surprised  and  attacked 
Wareham  Castle,  and  took  it.  Alfred  and  the 
people  of  his  realm  were  not  only  astonished  and 
ilarmed  at  the  loss  of  the  castle,  but  they  were 
iilled  with  indignation  at  the  treachery  of  the 
Danes  in  violating  their  treaty  by  attacking  it. 
Halfden  said,  however,  that  he  was  an  inde- 
pendent chieftain,  acting  in  his  own  name,  and 
was  not  bound  at  all  by  any  obligations  entered 
into  by  Hubba ! 

There  followed  after  this  a  series  of  contests 
and  truces,  during  which  treacherous  wars  al- 
ternated with  still  more  treacherous  and  illu- 
sive periods  of  peace,  neither  party,  on  the 
whole,  gaining  any  decided  victory.  The 
Danes,  at  one  time,  after  agreeing  upon  a  ces- 
sation of  hostilities,  suddenly  fell  upon  a  large 
squadron  of  Alfred's  horse,  who,  relying  on  the 
truce,  were  moving  across  the  country  too  much 
off  their  guard.  The  Danes  dismounted  and 
<lr^9  off  the  men,  and  seized  the  horses,  and 
thus  provided  themselves  with  cavalry,  a  spe- 
eies  of  force  which  it  is  obvious  they  could  not 
easiiy  bring,  in  any  ships  which  they  could  theo 
construct,  across  the  German  Ocean.  Without 
waiting  for  Alfred  to  recover  from  the  surpriw 
tni  consternation  which  this  unexpected  treach. 


142          ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [AD  874 

The  town  of  Exeter.  It  Is  taken  by  the  Dane* 

ery  occasioned,  the  newly-mounted  troop  of 
Danes  rode  rapidly  along  the  southern  coast  of 
England  till  they  came  to  the  town  of  Exeter 
Its  name  was  in  those  days  Exancester.  It 
was  then,  as  it  is  now,  a  very  important  town. 
It  has  since  acquired  a  mournful  celebrity  as 
the  place  of  refuge,  and  the  scene  of  suffering 
of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  the  mother  of 
Charles  the  Second.*  The  loss  of  this  place  was 
a  new  and  heavy  cloud  over  Alfred's  prospects 
It  placed  the  whole  southern  coast  of  his  realm, 
in  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  and  seemed  to  por- 
tend for  the  whole  interior  of  the  country  a  pe- 
riod of  hopeless  and  irremediable  calamity. 

It  seems,  too,  from  various  unequivocal  state- 
ments and  allusions  contained  in  the  narratives 
of  the  times,  that  Alfred  did  not  possess,  during 
this  period  of  his  reign,  the  respect  and  affection 
of  his  subjects.  He  is  accused,  or,  rather,  not 
directly  accused,  but  spoken  of  as  generally 
known  to  be  guilty  of  many  faults  which  alien- 
ated  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  from  him,  and 
prepared  them  to  consider  his  calamities  as  the 
judgments  of  Heaven.  He  was  young  and  ar- 
dent, full  of  youthful  impetuosity  and  fire,  and 

*  For  an  account  of  Henrietta's  adventures  and  sufferiiigi 
•I  Exeter,  see  the  History  of  Charles  II.,  chap,  iii 


A.D  874.]  REVERSES. 


Serious  charges  against  Alfred  Lore  of  pleasure 

was  elated  at  his  elevation  to  the  throne  ;  and, 
during  the  period  while  the  Danes  left  him  in 
peace,  under  the  treaties  he  had  made  with 
Hubba,  he  gave  himself  up  to  pleasure,  and  not 
always  to  innocent  pleasure.  They  charged 
him,  too,  with  being  tyrannical  and  oppressive 
in  his  government,  being  so  devoted  to  giatify- 
ing  his  own  ambition  and  love  of  personal  indul- 
gence that  he  neglected  his  government,  sac- 
rificed the  interests  and  the  welfare  of  his  sub- 
jects, and  exercised  his  regal  powers  in  a  very 
despotic  and  arbitrary  manner. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  decide,  at  this  late  day 
how  far  this  disposition  to  find  fault  with  Al- 
fred's early  administration  of  his  government 
arose  from,  or  was  aggravated  by,  the  misfor- 
tunes and  calamities  which  befell  him.  On  the 
one  hand,  it  would  not  be  surprising  if,  young, 
and  arduous,  and  impetuous  as  he  was  at  thi* 
period  of  his  life,  he  should  have  fallen  into  the 
errors  and  faults  which  youthful  monarchs  are 
very  prone  to  commit  on  being  suddenly  raised 
to  power.  But  then,  on  the  other  hand,  men 
are  prone,  in  all  ages  of  the  world,  and  most 
especially  in  such  rude  and  uncultivated  times 
as  these  were,  to  judge  military  and  govern- 
tuentai  action  by  the  sole  criterion  of  aqooeaa 


144  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  874 

Saint  Nrot  He  reproaches  Alfred  with  his  misdeed* 

Thus,  when  they  found  that  Alfred's  measures, 
one  after  another,  failed  in  protecting  his  coun- 
try, that  the  impending  calamities  burst  suc- 
cessively upon  them,  notwithstanding  all  A.r 
fred's  efforts  to  avert  them,  it  was  natural  that 
they  should  look  at  and  exaggerate  his  faults, 
and  charge  all  their  national  misfortunes  to  the 
Influence  of  them. 

There  was  a  certain  Saint  Neot,  a  kinsman 
and  religious  counselor  of  Alfred,  the  history 
of  whose  life  was  afterward  written  by  the 
Abbot  of  Crowland,  the  monastery  whose  de- 
struction by  the  Danes  was  described  in  a  former 
chapter.  In  this  narrative  it  is  said  that  Neot 
often  rebuked  Alfred  in  the  severest  terms  for 
his  sinful  course  of  life,  predicting  the  most  fatal 
consequences  if  he  did  not  reform,  and  using 
language  which  only  a  very  culpable  degree  of 
remissness  and  irregularity  could  justify.  "  You 
glory,"  said  he,  one  day,  when  addressing  the 
king,  "  in  your  pride  and  power,  and  are  de- 
termined and  obdurate  in  your  iniquity.  But 
there  is  a  terrible  retribution  in  store  for  you. 
I  entreat  you  to  listen  to  my  counsels,  amend 
your  life,  and  govern  your  people  with  modera- 
tion and  justice,  instea  1  of  tyranny  and  oppres- 
uion,  and  thus  avert  if  you  can,  before  it  is  toe 
late,  the  impending  judgments  of  Heaven  " 


A.D.875.J  REVERSES.  L4£ 

Justice  of  Neot's  reproaches.  Alfred's  early  sins  atoned  for. 

Such  language  as  this  it  is  obvious  that  only 
a  very  serious  dereliction  of  duty  on  Alfred's 
part  could  call  for  or  justify  ;  but,  whatever  he 
may  have  done  to  deserve  it,  his  offenses  were 
so  fully  expiated  by  his  subsequent  sufferings, 
and  he  atoned  for  them  so  nobly,  too,  by  the 
wisdom,  the  prudence,  the  faithful  and  devoted 
patriotism  of  his  later  career,  that  mankind 
have  been  disposed  to  pass  by  the  faults  of  his 
early  years  without  attempting  to  scrutinize 
them  too  closely.  The  noblest  human  spirits 
are  always,  in  some  periods  of  their  existence, 
or  in  some  aspects  of  their  characters,  strange- 
ly weakened  by  infirmities  and  frailties,  and 
deformed  by  sin.  This  is  human  nature.  We 
like  to  imagine  *hat  we  find  exceptions,  and  to 
see  specimens'  of  moral  perfection  in  our  friends 
or  hi  the  historical  characters  whose  general 
course  of  action  we  admire ;  but  there  are  no 
exceptions.  To  err  and  to  sin,  at  some  times 
and  in  some  ways,  is  the  common,  universal, 
and  inevitable  lot  of  humanity. 

At  the  time  when  Halfden  and  his  followers 
seized  Wareham  Castle  and  Exeter,  Alfred 
had  been  several  years  upon  the  throne,  daring 
which  time  these  derelictions  from  duty  toob 
place,  so  far  as  they  existed  at  all.  But  now. 
24—10 


146  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  875 

lifted  arouses  himself.         Conrenei  an  awembly  of  chiefs  and  noble*. 

alarmed  at  the  imminence  of  the  impending 
danger,  which  threatened  not  only  the  welfare 
of  his  people,  but  his  own  kingdom  and  even  hi« 
life — for  one  Saxon  monarch  had  been  driven 
from  his  dominions,  as  we  have  seen,  and  had 
died  a  miserable  exile  at  Rome — Alfred  aroused 
himself  in  earnest  to  the  work  of  regaining  his 
lost  influence  among  his  people,  and  recovering 
their  alienated  affections. 

He  accordingly,  as  his  first  step,  convened  a 
great  assembly  of  the  leading  chieftains  and 
noblemen  of  the  realm,  and  made  addresses  to 
them,  in  which  he  urged  upon  them  the  immi- 
nence of  the  danger  which  threatened  their  com- 
mon country,  and  pressed  them  to  unite  vigor 
ously  and  energetically  with  him  to  contend 
against  their  common  foe.  They  must  make 
great  sacrifices,  he  said,  both  of  their  comfort 
and  ease,  as  well  as  of  their  wealth,  to  resist 
successfully  so  imminent  a  danger.  He  sum 
moned  them  to  arms,  and  urged  them  to  con- 
tributs  the  means  necessary  to  pay  the  expense 
of  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war.  Thest 
harangues,  and  the  ardor  and  determination 
which  Alfred  manifested  himself  at  the  time  of 
making  them,  were  successful.  The  nation 
aroused  itself  to  new  exertions,  and  fo»  a  tin* 


A.D.875.J  REVERSES.  i4S 

Alfred  builds  a  fleet  Difficulty  of  yr-v VHDR  seamen 

there  was  a  prospect  that  the  country  would  be 
saved. 

Among  the  other  measures  to  which  Alfred 
resorted  in  this  emergency  was  the  attempt  to 
encounter  the  Danes  upon  their  own  element 
by  building  and  equipping  a  fleet  of  ships,  with 
which  to  proceed  to  sea,  in  order  to  meet  and 
attack  upon  the  water  certain  new  bodies  of  in- 
vaders, who  were  on  the  way  to  join  the  Danes 
already  on  the  island — coming,  as  rumor  said, 
along  the  southern  shore.  In  attempting  to 
build  up  a  naval  power,  the  greatest  difficulty, 
always,  is  to  provide  seamen.  It  is  much  eas- 
ier to  build  ships  than  to  train  sailors.  To 
man  his  little  fleet,  Alfred  had  to  enlist  such 
half-savage  foreigners  as  could  be  found  in  the 
ports,  and  even  pirates,  as  was  said,  whom  he 
induced  to  enter  his  service,  promising  them 
pay,  and  such  plunder  as  they  could  take  from 
the  enemy.  These  attempts  of  Alfred  to  build 
and  man  a  fleet  are  considered  the  first  rude  be- 
ginnings from  which  the  present  vast  edifice  of 
British  naval  power  took  its  origin.  When  the 
fleet  was  ready  to  put  to  sea,  the  people  throng- 
ed the  shores,  watching  its  movements  with  the 
utmost  curiosity  and  interest,  earnestly  hoping 
that  it  might  be  successful  in  its  contests  with 


150  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  875 

Bacc^a  if  Alfred's  fleet  Succession  of  battle*  and  treaties 

the  more  tried  and  experienced  armaments  with 
which  it  would  have  to  contend. 

Alfred  was,  in  fact,  successful  in  the  first  en- 
terprises which  he  undertook  with  his  ships. 
He  encountered  a  fleet  of  the  Danish  ships  in 
the  Channel,  and  defeated  them.  His  fleet  cap- 
tured, moreover,  one  of  the  largest  of  the  ves- 
sels of  the  enemy ;  and,  with  what  would  be 
thought  in  our  day  unpardonable  cruelty,  they 
thiew  the  sailors  and  soldiers  whom  they  found 
on  ooard  into  the  sea,  and  kept  the  vessel. 

After  all,  however,  Alfred  gained  no  con 
elusive  and  decisive  victory  over  his  foes.  They 
were  too  numerous,  too  scattered,  and  too  firmly 
seated  in  the  various  districts  of  the  island,  of 
some  of  which  they  had  been  in  possession  for 
many  years.  Time  passed  on,  battles  were 
fought,  treaties  of  peace  were  made,  oaths  were 
taken,  hostages  were  exchanged,  and  then,  after 
a  very  brief  interval  of  repose,  hostilities  would 
break  out  again,  each  party  bitterly  accusing 
the  other  of  treachery.  Then  the  poor  hosta- 
ges would  be  slain,  first  by  one  party,  and  aftor 
ward,  in  retaliation,  by  the  other. 

In  one  of  these  temporary  and  illusive  paci- 
fications, Alfred  attempted  to  bind  the  Danes 
bv  Christian  oaths  Their  customary  mode  at 


A..D.  875.]  REVERSES.  151 

The  Danish  oath.  Christian  relic* 

binding  themselves,  in  cases  where  they  wished 
to  impose  a  solemn  religious  obligation,  was  to 
swear  by  a  certain  ornament  which  they  wore 
upon  their  arms,  which  is  called  in  the  chroni- 
cles of  those  times  a  bracelet.  What  its  form 
an:  fashion  was  we  can  not  now  precisely  know ; 
but  it  is  plain  that  they  attached  some  super- 
stitious, and  perhaps  idolatrous  associations  of 
sacredness  to  it.  To  swear  by  this  bracelet  was 
to  place  themselves  under  the  most  solemn  ob- 
ligation that  they  could  assume.  Alfred,  how- 
ever, not  satisfied  with  this  pagan  sanction, 
made  them,  in  confirming  one  treaty,  swear  by 
the  Christian  relics,  which  were  certain  sup- 
posed memorials  of  our  Saviour's  crucifixion,  or 
portions  of  the  bodies  of  dead  saints  miracu- 
lously preserved,  and  to  which  the  credulous 
Christians  of  that  day  attached  an  idea  of  sa- 
credness and  awe,  scarcely  less  superstitious 
than  that  which  their  pagan  enemies  felt  for 
the  bracelets  on  their  arms.  Alfred  could  not 
have  supposed  that  these  treacherous  covenant- 
ers, since  they  would  readily  violate  the  faith 
plighted  in  the  name  of  what  they  revered, 
could  be  held  by  what  they  hated  and  despised. 
Perhaps  he  thought  that,  though  they  would  be 
DO  more  likely  to  keep  the  new  oath  than  the 


ALFRED  THE   CTREAT.  [A.D.  875 

The  story  of  Rollo.  Hto  famoiu  exploit! 

old,  still,  that  their  violation  of  it,  when  it  oc- 
curred, would  be  in  itself  a  great  crime — that 
his  cause  would  be  subsequently  strengthened 
by  their  thus  incurring  the  special  and  ut,>  :fi 
gated  displeasure  of  Heaven. 

Among  the  Danish  chieftains  with  whom  Al- 
fred had  thus  continually  to  contend  in  this 
early  par',  of  his  reign,  there  was  one  very  fa- 
mous hero,  whose  name  was  Rollo.  He  in- 
vaded England  with  a  wild  horde  which  attend- 
ed him  for  a  short  time,  but  he  soon  retired 
and  went  to  France,  where  he  afterward  greatly 
distinguished  himself  by  his  prowess  and  his 
exploits.  The  Saxon  historians  say  that  he  re- 
treated from  England  because  Alfred  gave  him 
such  a  reception  that  he  saw  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  to  maintain  his  footing  there. 
His  account  of  it  was,  that,  one  day,  when  he 
was  perplexed  with  doubt  and  uncertainty  about 
his  plans,  he  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  that  he 
saw  a  swarm  of  bees  flying  southward.  This 
was  an  omen,  as  he  regarded  it,  indicating  the 
course  which  he  ought  to  pursue.  He  accord- 
ingly embarked  his  men  on  board  his  shipa 
again,  and  crossed  the  Channel,  and  sought 
successfully  in  Normandy,  a  province  of  France 
the  kingdom  and  the  home  which,  either  on  ao- 


A.D.  675.]  REVERSES.  15i» 

The  Danes  generally  successful.  Alfred's  dbtreM 

count  of  Alfred  or  of  the  bees,  he  was  not  to  en- 
joy in  England. 

The  cases,  however,  in  which  the  Danish 
chieftains  were  either  entirely  conquered  of 
finally  expelled  from  the  kingdom  were  very 
few.  As  years  passed  on,  Alfred  found  his  army 
diminishing,  and  the  strength  of  his  kingdom 
wasting  away.  His  resources  were  exhausted, 
his  friends  had  disappeared,  his  towns  and  cas- 
tles were  taken,  and,  at  last,  about  eight  years 
after  his  coronation  at  Winchester  as  monarch 
of  the  most  powerful  of  the  Saxon  kingdoms, 
he  found  himself  reduced  to  the  very  last  ex- 
treme of  destitution  and  distress. 


154  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [AD.878 

ilfred1 1  penererance.  Another  arrlral  of  Dane* 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE   SECLUSION. 

OTWITHSTANDING  the  tide  of  disas- 
ter  and  calamity  which  seemed  to  be  grad- 
a—  j  overwhelming  Alfred's  kingdom,  he  was 
not  reduced  to  absolute  despair,  but  continued 
for  a  long  time  the  almost  hopeless  struggle. 
There  is  a  certain  desperation  to  which  men 
are  often  aroused  in  the  last  extremity,  which 
surpasses  courage,  and  is  even  sometimes  a  very 
effectual  substitute  for  strength ;  and  Alfred 
might,  perhaps,  have  succeeded,  after  all,  in  sav- 
mg  his  affairs  from  utter  ruin,  had  not  a  new 
circumstance  intervened,  which  seemed  at  once 
to  extinguish  all  remaining  hope  and  to  seal 
his  doom. 

This  circumstance  was  the  arrival  of  a  new 
band  of  Danes,  who  were,  it  seems,  more  nu- 
merous, more  ferocious,  and  more  insatiable 
than  any  who  had  come  before  them.  The 
other  kingdoms  of  the  Saxons  had  been  already 
pretty  effectually  plundered.  Alfred's  kingdom 
of  Wessex  was  now,  therefore,  the  most  invit- 
ing field,  and,  after  various  excursions  of  co> 


A.D.  878.]       THE  SECLUSION.  155 

Alfred's  array  disorganized  He  la  left  alone. 

quest  and  plunder  in  other  parts  of  the  island, 
they  came  like  an  inundation  over  Alfred's 
frontiers,  and  all  hope  of  resisting  them  seems 
to  have  been  immediately  abandoned.  The 
Saxon  armies  were  broken  up.  Alfred  had  lost, 
it  appears,  all  influence  and  control  over  both 
leaders  and  men.  The  chieftains  and  nobles 
fled.  Some  left  the  country  altogether ;  others 
hid  themselves  in  the  best  retreats  and  fastness- 
PS  that  they  could  find.  Alfred  himself  was 
obliged  to  follow  the  general  example.  A  few 
attendants,  either  more  faithful  than  the  rest 
v  else  more  distrustful  of  their  own  resources 
.nd  inclined,  accordingly,  to  seek  their  own  per- 
ional  safety  by  adhering  closely  to  their  sover- 
jign,  followed  him.  These,  however,  one  after 
another,  gradually  forsook  him,  and,  finally,  the 
fallen  and  deserted  monarch  was  left  alone. 

In  fact,  it  was  a  relief  to  him  at  last  to  be 
ieft  alone ;  for  they  who  remained  around  him 
became  in  the  end  a  burden  instead  of  afford- 
ing him  protection.  They  were  too  few  to  fight, 
and  too  many  to  be  easily  concealed.  Alfred 
withdrew  himself  from  them,  thinking  that,  un- 
der the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  now 
placed,  he  was  justified  in  seeking  his  own  per- 
sonal safety  alone.  He  had  a  wife,  whom  he 


156  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  878 

Alfred'*  wife.  He  retires  to  Athelney 

married  when  he  was  about  twenty  years  old ; 
but  she  was  not  with  him  now,  though  she  aft- 
erward joined  him.  She  was  in  some  other 
place  oi  retreat.  She  could,  in  fact,  be  much 
more  easily  concealed  than  her  husband ;  for 
the  Danes,  though  they  would  undoubtedly 
have  valued  her  very  highly  as  a  captive,  would 
not  search  for  her  with  the  eager  and  persever- 
ing vigilance  with  which  it  was  to  be  expected 
they  would  hunt  for  their  most  formidable,  but 
now  discomfited  and  fugitive  foe. 

Alfred,  therefore,  after  disentangling  himself 
from  all  but  one  or  two  trustworthy  and  faith- 
ful friends,  wandered  on  toward  the  west, 
through  forests,  and  solitudes,  and  wilds,  to  get 
as  far  away  as  possible  from  the  enemies  who 
were  upon  his  track.  He  arrived  at  last  on 
the  remote  western  frontiers  of  his  kingdom,  at 
a  place  whose  name  has  been  immortalized  ^y 
its  having  been  for  some  time  the  place  of  hia 
retreat.  It  was  called  Athelney.*  Athelney 
was,  however,  scarcely  deserving  of  a  name,  for 
it  was  nothing  but  a  small  spot  of  dry  land  in 
the  midst  of  a  morass,  which,  as  grans  would 

*  The  name  i»  spelled  variously,  Ethelney,  ^Ethelney 
Cthelingay,  &c.  It  wat  in  Somersetshire,  between  tirf  riv 
•n  Thone  and  Parrot. 


A.D.  878.]       THE  SECLUSION.  157 

The  cow-herd.  He  gives  Alfred  an  asylum. 

grow  upon  it  in  the  openings  among  the  trees, 
a  simple  cow-herd  had  taken  possession  of,  and 
built  his  hut  there. 

The  solid  land  which  the  cow-herd  called  his 
farm  was  only  about  two  acres  in  extent.  All 
around  it  was  a  black  morass,  of  great  extent, 
wooded  w.th  alders,  among  which  green  sedges 
grew,  and  sluggish  streams  meandered,  and 
mossy  tracts  of  verdure  spread  treacherously 
over  deep  bogs  and  sloughs.  In  the  driest  sea- 
son of  the  summer  the  g«vats  and  the  sheep  pen- 
etrated into  these  recesses,  but,  excepting  in 
the  devious  and  tortuous  path  by  which  the 
cow-herd  found  his  way  to  his  island,  it  was 
almost  impassable  for  man. 

Alfred,  however,  attracted  now  by  the  imped- 
iments and  obstacles  which  would  have  repel- 
led a  wanderer  under  any  other  circumstances, 
went  on  with  the  greater  alacrity  the  more  in- 
tricate and  entangled  the  thickets  of  the  morass 
were  found,  since  these  difficulties  promised  to 
impede  or  deter  pursuit.  He  found  his  way  in 
to  the  cow-herd's  hut  He  asked  for  shelter. 
People  who  live  in  solitudes  are  always  hospi- 
table. The  cow-herd  took  the  wayworn  fugi- 
tive in,  and  gave  him  food  and  shelter.  Alfred 
remained  his  gueet  for  a  considerable  time 


158  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [AD.  878 

Alfred's  account  of  himself.  The  story  of  Alfred's  seclusion 

The  story  is,  that  after  a  few  days  the  ocw- 
herd  asked  him  who  he  was,  and  how  he  came 
to  be  wandering  about  in  that  distressed  and 
destitute  condition.  Alfred  told  him  that  he 
was  one  of  the  king's  thanes.  A  thane  was  a 
sort  of  chieftain  in  the  Saxon  state.  He  ac- 
counted for  his  condition  by  saying  that  Alfred's 
army  nad  been  beaten  by  the  Danes,  and  that 
he,  with  the  other  generals,  had  been  forced  to 
fly.  He  begged  the  cow-herd  to  conceal  him, 
and  to  keep  the  secret  of  his  character  until 
times  should  change,  so  that  he  could  take  the 
field  again. 

The  story  of  Alfred's  seclusion  on  the  island, 
as  it  might  almost  be  called,  of  Ethelney,  is  told 
very  differently  by  the  different  narrators  cf 
it.  Some  of  these  narrations  are  inconsistent 
and  contradictory.  They  all  combine,  however, 
though  they  differ  in  respect  to  many  other  inci- 
dents and  details,  in  relating  the  far-famed  story 
of  Alfred's  leaving  the  cakes  to  burn.  It  seems 
that,  though  the  cow-herd  himself  was  allowed 
to  regard  Alfred  as  a  man  of  rank  in  disguise- 
though  even  he  did  not  know  that  it  was  the 
king — his  wife  was  not  admitted,  even  in  this 
partial  way,  into  the  secret.  She  was  made  to 
consider  the  stranger  as  some  common  strolling 


A.D.878.J       THE  SECLUSION.  159 

Alfred's  occupations  at  Ethelney.  His  gloomy  thoughts 

countryman,  and  the  better  to  sustain  this  idea, 
he  was  taken  into  the  cow-herd's  service,  and 
employed  in  various  ways,  from  time  to  time, 
in  labors  about  the  house  and  farm.  Alfred's 
thoughts,  however,  were  little  interested  in 
these  occupations.  His  mind  dwelt  incessant- 
ly upon  his  misfortunes  and  the  calamities 
which  had  befallen  his  kingdom.  He  was  har- 
assed by  continual  suspense  and  anxiety,  not 
being  able  to  gain  any  clear  or  certain  intelli- 
gence about  the  condition  and  movements  of 
either  his  friends  or  foes.  He  was  revolving 
continually  vague  and  half-formed  plans  for  re- 
Burning  the  command  of  his  army  and  attempt- 
ing to  regain  his  kingdom,  and  wearying  him- 
self with  fruitless  attempts  to  devise  means  to 
accomplish  these  ends.  Whenever  he  engaged 
voluntarily  in  any  occupation,  it  would  always 
be  something  in  harmony  with  these  trains  of 
thought  and  these  plans.  He  would  repair  and 
put  in  order  implements  of  hunting,  or  any 
thing  else  which  might  be  deemed  to  have  some 
lelation  to  war.  He  would  make  bows  and  ar- 
rows in  the  chimney  corner — lost,  all  the  time, 
in  melancholy  reveries,  or  in  wild  and  visionary 
•ohemes  of  future  exploits. 

One  evening,  while  he  was  thus  at  work,  the 


1(50  ALFRED  THE  CTRFAT.  |A.D.  87k 

rhe  story  of  the  cakes.  Its  deep  'Jitereil 

cow-herd's  wife  left,  for  a  few  moments,  some 
cakes  under  his  charge,  which  she  was  baking 
upon  the  great  stone  hearth,  in  preparation  foi 
their  common  supper.  Alfred,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  let  the  cakes  burn.  The  wom- 
an, when  she  came  back  and  found  them  smok- 
ing, was  very  angry.  She  told  him  that  he 
could  eat  the  cakes  fast  enough  when  they  were 
baked,  though  it  seemed  he  was  too  lazy  and 
good  for  nothing  to  do  the  least  thing  in  helping 
to  bake  them.  What  wide-spread  and  lasting 
effects  result  sometimes  from  the  most  trifling 
and  inadequate  causes !  The  singularity  of 
such  an  adventure  befalling  a  monarch  in  dis- 
guise, and  the  terse  antithesis  of  the  reproaches 
with  which  the  woman  rebuked  him,  invest 
th'Js  incident  with  an  interest  which  carries  it 
evary  where  spontaneously  among  mankind. 
Millions,  within  the  last  thousand  years,  have 
heard  the  name  of  Alfred,  who  have  known  no 
more  of  him  than  this  story ;  and  millions  more, 
who  never  would  have  heard  of  him  but  for  this 
story,  have  been  led  by  it  to  study  the  whole 
history  of  his  life  ;  so  that  the  unconscious  cow- 
herd's wife,  in  scolding  the  disguised  monarch 
for  forgetting  her  cakes,  was  perhaps  doing 


2-4—11 


A.b.878.;       THE  SECLUSION.  163 

Variou*  accounts  of  the  »tory  of  the  cake*. 

more  than  he  ever  did  himself  for  the  wide  ex- 
tension of  his  future  fame.* 

*  As  this  incident  has  been  so  famous,  it  may  amuso  tn« 
reader  to  peruse  the  different  accounts  which  are  given  of  it 
in  the  most  ancient  records  which  new  remain.  They  were 
written  in  Latin  and  in  Saxon,  and,  of  course,  as  given  here, 
they  are  translations.  The  discrepancies  which  the  reader 
will  observe  in  the  details  illustrate  well  the  uncertainty 
which  pertains  to  all  historical  accounts  that  go  back  to  so 
early  an  age. 

"  He  led  an  unquiet  life  there,  at  his  cow-herd's.  It  hap- 
pened that,  on  a  certain  day,  the  rustic  wife  of  the  man  pre- 
pared to  bake  her  bread.  The  king,  sitting  then  near  the 
nearth,  was  making  ready  his  bow  and  arrows,  and  other  war- 
like implements,  when  the  ill-tempered  woman  beheld  the 
loaves  burning  at  the  fire.  She  ran  hastily  and  removed  them, 
scolding  at  the  king,  and  exclaiming, '  You  man !  you  will  not 
turn  the  bread  you  see  burning,  but  you  •will  be  very  glad  to 
eat  it  when  it  is  done !'  This  unlucky  woman  little  thought 
she  was  addressing  the  King  Alfred." 

In  a  certain  Saxon  history  the  story  is  told  thus : 

'  He  took  shelter  in  a  swain's  house,  and  also  him  and  his 
evil  wife  diligently  served.  It  happened  that,  on  one  day, 
the  swain's  wife  heated  her  oven,  and  the  king  sat  by  it  warm- 
ing himself  by  the  fire.  She  knew  not  then  that  he  was  th« 
king.  Then  the  evil  woman  was  excited,  and  spoke  to  the 
king  with  an  angry  mind.  '  Turn  thou  these  loaves,  that 
they  burn  not,  for  I  see  daily  that  thou  art  a  great  eater !'  He 
•DOU  obeyed  this  evil  woman  because  she  would  scold.  Ha 
.hon  the  good  king,  with  great  anxiety  and  sighing,  called  to 
his  Lord,  imploring  his  pity." 

The  following  account  is  from  a  Latin  life  of  St.  Neot,  which 
*U1  exists  in  manuscript,  and  is  of  great  ant  quit- 


164  ALFRED  THB   GREAT.  [A.D.  878 

Various  accounts  of  the  story  of  the  cake*. 


Alfred  was,  for  a  time,  extremely  depressed 
and  disheartened  by  the  sense  of  his  misfortunes 

"  Alfred,  a  fugitive,  and  exiled  from  his  people,  came  bj 
chance  and  entered  the  house  of  a  poor  herdsman,  and  there 
remained  some  days  concealed,  poor  and  unknown. 

"  It  happened  that,  on  the  Sabbath  day,  the  herdsman,  as 
usual,  led  his  cattle  to  their  accustomed  pastures,  and  the  king 
remained  alone  in  the  cottage  with  the  man's  wife.  She,  as 
necessity  required,  placed  a  few  loaves,  which  some  call 
londat,  on  a  pan,  with  fire  underneath,  to  be  baked  for  her 
husband's  repast  and  her  own,  on  his  return. 

"  While  she  was  necessarily  busied,  like  peasants,  on  other 
offices,  she  went  anxious  to  the  fire,  and  found  the  bread 
burning  on  the  other  side.  She  immediately  assailed  the  king 
with  reproaches.  '  Why,  man !  do  you  sit  thinking  there,  and 
are  too  proud  to  turn  the  bread  ?  Whatever  be  your  family, 
with  your  manners  and  sloth,  what  trust  can  be  put  in  you 
hereafter?  If  you  were  even  a  nobleman,  you  will  be  glad 
.o  eat  the  bread  which  you  neglect  to  attend  to.'  The  king, 
though  stung  by  her  upbraidings,  yet  heard  her  with  patience 
and  mildness,  and,  roused  by  her  scolding,  took  care  to  bake 
her  bread  thereafter  as  she  wished." 

There  is  one  remaining  account,  which  is  as  follows : 

"  It  happened  that  the  herdsman  one  day,  as  usual,  led  htt 
swine  to  their  accustomed  pasture,  and  the  king  remained  at 
home  alone  with  the  wife.  She  placed  her  bread  under  the 
ashes  of  the  fire  to  bake,  and  •was  employed  in  other  business 
vhen  she  saw  the  loaves  burning,  and  said  to  the  king  in  hei 
.age,  '  You  will  not  turn  the  bread  you  see  burning,  tbougk 
yon  will  be  very  glad  to  eat  it  when  done  !'  The  king,  wiffc 
a  submitting  countenance,  though  vexed  at  her  upbraiding* 
not  only  turned  the  bread,  but  gave  them  to  the  woman  well 
baked  and  unbroken." 

It  is  obvious,  from  the  character  of  these  several  accounts 


A.D.  878.]      THE  SECLUSION.  165 

Effect  of  Alfred's  seclusion  on  his  heart  and  character. 

and  calamities ;  but  the  monkish  writers  whc 
Ascribed  his  character  and  his  life  say  that  the 
influence  of  his  sufferings  was  extremely  saiu- 
vary  in  softening  his  disposition  and  improving 
his  character.  He  had  been  proud,  and  haughty, 
and  domineering  before.  He  became  humble, 
docile,  and  considerate  now.  Faults  of  charac- 
ter that  are  superficial,  resulting  from  the  force 
of  circumstances  and  peculiarities  of  tempta- 
tion, rather  than  from  innate  depravity  of  heart, 
are  easily  and  readily  burned  off  in  the  fire  of 
affliction,  while  the  same  severe  ordeal  seem? 
only  to  indurate  the  more  hopelessly  those  pro. 
pensities  which  lie  deeply  seated  in  an  inherent 
and  radical  perversity. 

that  each  writer,  taking  the  substantial  fact  as  the  ground- 
work of  his  story,  has  added  such  details  and  chosen  such 
expressions  for  the  housewife's  reproaches  as  suited  his  own 
individual  fancy.  We  find,  unfortunately  for  the  truth  and 
trustworthiness  of  history,  that  this  is  almost  always  the  case, 
when  independent  and  original  accounts  of  past  transactions, 
whether  great  or  small,  are  compared.  The  gravest  histo- 
rians, as  well  as  the  lightest  story  tellers,  frame  their  narra- 
tions for  effect,  and  the  tendency  in  all  ages  to  shape  and 
fashion  the  narrative  with  a  view  to  the  particular  effect  de- 
signed by  the  individual  narrator  to  be  produced  has  been 
found  entirely  irresistible.  It  is  necessary  to  compare,  with 
great  diligence  and  careful  scrutiny,  a  great  many  different  ac- 
counts, in  order  to  learn  how  little  there  is  to  be  exactly  and 
confidently  believed. 


166  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  878 

Alfred's  patience  and  fortitude.  He  makes  himself  knows. 

Alfred,  though  restless  and  wretched  in  his 
apparently  hopeless  seclusion,  bore  his  priva- 
tions with  a  great  degree  of  patience  and  forti- 
tude, planning,  all  the  time,  the  best  means  of 
reorganizing  his  scattered  forces,  and  of  rescu- 
ing his  country  from  the  ruin  into  which  it  had 
fallen.  Some  of  his  former  friends,  roaming  as 
he  himself  had  done,  as  fugitives  about  the 
country,  happened  at  length  to  come  into  the 
neighborhood  of  his  retreat.  He  heard  of  them, 
and  cautiously  made  himself  known.  They 
were  rejoiced  to  find  their  old  commander  once 
more,  and,  as  there  was  no  force  of  the  Danes 
in  that  neighborhood  at  the  time,  they  lingered, 
timidly  and  fearlessly  at  first,  in  the  vicinity, 
until,  at  length,  growing  more  bold  as  they 
found  themselves  unmolested  in  their  retreat, 
they  began  to  make  it  their  gathering  place 
and  head-quarters.  Alfred  threw  off  his  dis 
guise,  and  assumed  his  true  character.  Tidings 
of  his  having  been  thus  discovered  spread  con- 
fidentially among  the  most  tried  and  faithful  of 
hk  Saxon  followers,  who  had  themselves  been 
seeking  safety  in  other  places  of  refuge.  They 
began,  at  first  cautiously  and  by  stealth,  bat 
afterward  more  openly,  to  repair  to  the  spot 
Alfred's  family,  too,  from  which  he  had  uovt 


A.D.  878.]      THE   SECLUSION.  1K7 

Scarcity  of  provision*.  Services  of  the  herd nn sa 

been  for  many  months  entirely  separated,  con- 
trived  to  rejoin  him.  The  herdsman,  who  provec. 
to  be  a  man  of  intelligence  and  character  su- 
perior to  his  station,  entered  heartily  into  all 
these  movements.  He  kept  the  secret  faith- 
fully. He  did  all  in  his  power  to  provide  foi 
the  wants  and  to  promote  the  comfort  of  hi* 
warlike  guests,  and,  by  his  fidelity  and  devo- 
tion, laid  Alfred  under  obligations  of  gratitude 
to  him,  which  the  king,  when  he  was  afterward 
restored  to  the  throne,  did  not  forget  to  repay. 
Notwithstanding,  however,  all  the  efforts 
which  the  herdsman  made  to  obtain  supplies, 
the  company  now  assembled  at  Ethelney  were 
sometimes  reduced  to  great  straits.  There  were 
not  only  the  wants  of  Alfred  and  his  immediate 
family  and  attendants  to  be  provided  for,  but 
many  persons  were  continually  coming  and 
going,  arriving  often  at  unexpected  times,  and 
acting,  as  roving  and  disorganized  bodies  of  sol- 
diers are  very  apt  to  do  at  such  times,  in  a  very 
inconsiderate  manner.  The  herdsman's  farm 
produced  very  little  food,  and  the  inaccessible- 
ness  of  its  situation  made  it  difficult  to  bring  in 
supplies  from  without.  In  fact,  it  was  neces- 
sary, in  one  part  of  the  approach  to  it,  to  use  a 
boat,  so  that  the  place  is  generally  called,  in  his 


168  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  87b 

Fishing  excursions.  The  story  of  the  beggar. 

tory,  an  island,  though  it  was  insulated  mainly 
by  swamps  and  morasses  rather  than  by  nav- 
igable waters.  There  were,  however,  sluggish 
streams  all  around  it,  where  Alfred's  men,  when 
their  stores  were  exhausted,  went  to  fish,  under 
the  herdsman's  guidance,  returning  sometimes 
with  a  moderate  fare,  and  sometimes  with  none. 
The  monks  who  describe  this  portion  of  Al- 
fred's life  have  recorded  an  incident  as  having 
occurred  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  these  fishing 
excursions,  which,  however,  is  certainly,  in  part, 
a  fabrication,  and  may  be  wholly  so.  It  was  in 
die  winter.  The  waters  about  the  grounds  were 
frozen  up.  The  provisions  in  the  house  were 
nearly  exhausted,  there  being  scarcely  any  thing 
remaining.  The  men  went  away  with  their 
fishing  apparatus,  and  with  their  bows  and  ar- 
rows, in  hopes  of  procuring  some  fish  or  fowl  to 
replenish  their  stores.  Alfred  was  left  alone, 
with  only  a  single  lady  of  his  family,  who  is 
called  in  the  account  "  Mother,"  though  it  could 
not  have  been  Alfred's  own  mother,  as  she  had 
been  dead  many  years.  Alfred  was  sitting  in 
the  hut  reading.  A  beggar,  who  had  by  some 
means  or  other  found  his  way  in  over  the  frozen 
morasses,  came  to  the  door,  and  asked  for  food. 
Alfred,  looking  up  from  his  book,  asked  the 


A.D.  878.]      THE   SECLUSION.  16tf 

Alfred's  charity.  Hla  dream. 

mother,  whoever  she  was,  to  go  and  see  what 
there  was  to  give  him.  She  went  to  make  ex- 
amination, and  presently  returned,  saying  that 
there  was  nothing  to  give  him.  There  was 
only  a  single  loaf  of  bread  remaining,  and  that 
would  not  be  half  enough  for  their  own  wants 
that  very  night  when  the  hunting  party  should 
return,  if  they  should  come  back  unsuccessful 
from  their  expedition.  Alfred  hesitated  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  ordered  half  the  loaf  to  be  given 
to  the  beggar.  He  said,  in  justification  of  the 
act,  that  his  trust  was  now  in  God,  and  that 
the  power  which  once,  with  five  loaves  and  two 
small  fishes,  fed  abundantly  three  thousand 
men,  could  easily  make  half  a  loaf  suffice  for 
them. 

The  loaf  was  accordingly  divided,  the  beggar 
was  supplied,  and,  delighted  with  this  unex- 
pected relief,  he  went  away.  Alfred  turned  his 
attention  again  to  his  reading.  After  a  tune 
the  book  dropped  from  his  hand.  He  had  fall- 
en asleep.  He  dreamed  that  a  certain  saint 
appeared  to  him,  and  made  a  revelation  to  him 
from  heaven.  God,  he  said,  had  heard  his 
p—yers,  was  satisfied  with  his  penitence,  and 
pitied  his  sorrows ;  and  that  his  act  of  charity 
in  relieving  the  poor  beggar,  even  at  the  risk  of 


170  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [AJD. S78 

Return  of  the  hunting  party.  Revival  of  Alfred's  hope* 

leaving  himself  and  his  friends  in  utter  destitu- 
tion,  was  extremely  acceptable  in  the  sight  of 
Heaven.  The  faith  and  trust  which  he  thus 
manifested  were  about  to  be  rewarded.  The 
time  for  a  change  had  come.  He  was  to  be 
restored  to  his  kingdom,  and  raised  to  a  new 
and  higher  state  of  prosperity  and  power  than 
before.  As  a  token  that  this  prediction  was 
true,  and  would  be  all  fulfilled,  the  hunting 
party  would  return  that  night  with  an  ample 
and  abundant  supply. 

Alfred  awoke  from  his  sleep  with  his  mind 
filled  with  new  hopes  and  anticipations.  The 
hunting  party  returned  loaded  with  supplies, 
and  in  a  state  of  the  greatest  exhilaration  at 
their  success.  They  had  fish  and  game  enough 
to  have  supplied  a  little  army.  The  incident 
of  relieving  the  beggar,  the  dream,  and  their 
unwonted  success  confirming  it,  inspired  them 
all  with  confidence  and  hope.  They  began  to 
form  plans  for  commencing  offensive  operations 
They  would  build  fortifications  to  strengthen 
their  position  on  the  island.  They  would  col- 
lect a  force  They  would  make  sallies  to  at- 
tack the  smaller  parties  of  the  Danes.  They 
would  send  agents  and  emissaries  about  the 
kingdom  to  arouse,  and  encourage,  and  assenv 


A.D.878.]       THE  SECLUSION,  171 

Plans  of  Alfred  and  his  friends  to  recover  the  kingdom. 


ble  such  Saxon  forces  as  were  yet  to  be  found. 
In  a  word,  they  would  commence  a  series  of 
measures  for  recovering  the  country  from  the 
possession  of  its  pestilent  enemy,  and  for  restor- 
ing the  rightful  sovereign  to  the  throne.  The 
development  of  these  projects  and  plans,  and 
the  measures  for  carrying  them  into  effect,  were 
very  much  hastened  by  an  event  which  sudden- 
ly  occurred  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ethelney, 
the  account  of  which,  however,  must  be  post- 
poned to  the  next  chapter. 


172  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.878 

Supposed  situation  of  Ethelney.  The  Jewel  ol  gold 


CHAPTER   IX. 
REASSEMBLING  OF  THE  ARMY. 

1T1THELNEY,  though  its  precise  locality 
-•— ^  can  not  now  be  certainly  ascertained,  was 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  England,  in  Som- 
ersetshire, which  county  lies  jon  the  southern 
shore  of  the  Bristol  Channel.  There  is  a  region 
of  marshes  in*  that  vicinity,  which  tradition  as- 
signs as  the  place  of  Alfred's  retreat ;  and  there 
was,  about  the  middle  of  this  century,  a  farm- 
house there,  which  bore  the  name  of  Ethelney, 
though  this  name  may  have  been  given  to  it  in 
modern  times  by  those  who  imagined  it  to  be 
the  ancient  locality.  A  jewel  of  gold,  engraved 
as  an  amulet  to  be  worn  about  the  neck,  and 
inscribed  with  the  Saxon  words  which  mean 
"  Alfred  had  me  made,"  was  found  in  the  vicin- 
ity, and  is  still  carefully  preserved  in  a  museum 
In  England.  Some  curious  antiquarians  pro 
teas  to  find  the  very  hillock,  rising  out  of  the 
lew  grounds  around,  where  the  herdsman  that 
entertained  Alfred  so  long  lived ;  but  this,  of 
erurse  is  all  uncertain.  The  peculiarities  of 


A.D.  878.]  A.RMV  REASSEMBLED.  173 

Changes  produced  by  time.  Mi  jd  fortifies  Ethelney. 


the  spot  derived  their  character  from  the  mo- 
rasses and  the  woods,  and  the  courses  of  the 
sluggish  streams  in  the  neighborhood,  and  these 
are  elements  of  landscape  scenery  which  ten 
centuries  of  time  and  of  cultivation  would  en- 
tirely  change. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  precise  situa- 
tion of  the  spot,  instead  of  being,  as  at  first,  a 
mere  hiding-place  and  retreat,  it  became,  before 
many  months,  as  was  intimated  in  the  last 
chapter,  a  military  camp,  secluded  and  conceal 
ed,  it  is  true,  but  still  possessing,  in  a  consid- 
erable degree,  the  characteristics  of  a  fastness 
and  place  of  de'fense.  Alfred's  company  erect- 
ed something  which  might  be  called  a  wall. 
They  built  a  bridge  across  the  water  where  the 
nerdsman's  boat  had  been  accustomed  to  ply. 
They  raised  two  towers  to  watch  and  guard 
the  bridge.  All  these  defenses  were  indeed  of 
a  very  rude  and  simple  construction  ;  still,  they 
answered  the  purpose  intended.  They  afforded 
a  real  protection ;  and,  more  than  all,  they  pro- 
duced a  certain  moral  effect  upon  the  minds  ?f 
those  whom  they  shielded,  by  enabling  them  to 
consider  themselves  as  no  longer  lurking  fugi« 
dives,  dependent  for  safety  on  simple  conceal- 
ment, but  as  a  garrison,  weak,  it  is  true,  but 


174  ALFRED  THE  UREAT.  [A.D. 878 

Hubba  in  Wales.  Castle  Kenwitb. 

still  gathering  strength,  and  advancing  gradu- 
ally toward  a  condition  which  would  enable 
them  to  make  positive  aggressions  upon  the 
enemy. 

The  circumstance  which  occurred  to  hasten 
the  development  of  Alfred's  plans,  and  which 
was  briefly  alluded  to  at  the  close  of  the  last 
chapter,  was  the  following :  It  seems  that  quite 
a  large  party  of  Danes,  under  the  command  of 
a  leader  named  Hubba,  had  been  making  a  tour 
of  conquest  and  plunder  in  Wales,  which  coun- 
try was  on  the  other  side  of  the  Bristol  Chan- 
nel,  directly  north  of  Ethelney,,  where  Alfred 
was  beginning  to  concentrate  a  force.  He 
would  be  immediately  exposed  to  an  attack 
from  this  quarter  as  soon  as  it  should  be  known 
that  he  was  at  Ethelney,  as  the  distance  across 
the  Channel  was  not  great,  and  the  Danes  were 
provided  with  shipping. 

Ethelney  was  in  the  county  called  Somerset- 
shire. To  the  southwest  of  Somersetshire,  a 
little  below  it,  on  the  shores  of  the  Bristol  Chan- 
nel, was  a  castle,  called  Castle  Kenwith,  in 
Devonshire.  The  Duke  of  Devonshire,  who 
held  this  castle,  encouraged  by  Alfred's  prepa- 
rations for  action,  had  assembled  a  considerable 
force  her**,  to  be  ready  to  co-oporate  with  Al- 


A.D.  878.]  ARMY  REASSEMBLED  173 

Jubba  crosses  the  Channel  He  besieges  Odun. 

fred  in  the  active  measures  which  he  was  about 
to  adopt.  Things  being  in  this  state,  Hubba 
brought  down  his  forces  to  the  northern  shores 
of  the  Channel,  collected  together  all  the  boats 
and  shipping  that  he  could  command,  crossed 
the  Channel,  and  landed  on  the  Devonshire 
shore.  Odun,  the  duke,  not  being  strong  enough 
to  resist,  fled,  and  shut  himself  up,  with  all  his 
men,  in  the  castle.  Hubba  advanced  to  the  cas- 
tle walls,  and,  sitting  down  before  them,  began 
to  consider  what  to  do. 

Hubba  was  the  last  surviving  son  of  Ragner 
Lodbrog,  whose  deeds  and  adventures  were  re- 
lated in  a  former  chapter.  He  was,  like  all 
other  chieftains  among  the  Danes,  a  man  of 
great  determination  and  energy,  and  he  had 
made  himself  very  celebrated  all  over  the  land 
by  his  exploits  and  conquests.  His  particular 
horde  of  marauders,  too,  was  specially  celebrated 
among  all  the  others,  on  account  of  a  mysteri- 
ous and  magical  banner  which  they  bore.  The 
name  of  this  banner  was  the  Reafan,  that  is, 
the  Raven.  There  was  the  figure  of  a  raven 
woven  or  embroidered  on  the  banner.  Hubba'a 
three  sisters  had  wcven  it  for  their  brothers, 
when  they  went  forth  across  the  German  Ocean 
to  avenge  their  father's  death.  It  possessed,  a 


176'          ALFREI    THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  b>78 

rhe  mb^ical  banner.  How  regarded  by  the  Saxons  and  Dines 

both  the  Danes  and  Saxons  believed,  supernak 
ural  and  magical  powers.  The  raven  on  thf 
banner  could  foresee  the  result  of  any  battle  into 
which  it  was  borne.  It  remained  lifeless  and 
at  rest  whenever  the  result  was  to  be  adverse ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  fluttered  its  wings 
with  a  mysterious  and  magical  vitality  when 
they  who  bore  it  were  destined  to  victory.  The 
Danes  consequently  looked  up  to  this  banner 
with  a  feeling  of  profound  veneration  and  awe, 
and  the  Saxons  feared  and  dreaded  its  mysteri- 
ous power.  The  explanation  of  this  pretended 
miracle  is  easy.  The  imagination  of  superst 
tious  men,  in  such  a  state  of  society  as  that  of 
these  half-savage  Danes,  is  capable  of  much 
greater  triumphs  over  the  reason  and  the  senses 
than  is  implied  in  making  them  believe  that  the 
wings  of  a  bird  are  either  in  motion  or  at  rest, 
whichever  it  fancies,  when  the  banner  on  which 
the  image  is  embroidered  is  advancing  to  the 
field  and  fluttering  in  the  breeze. 

The  Castle  of  Kenwith  was  situated  on  a 
rocky  promontory,  and  was  defended  by  a  Sax<-r 
wall.  Hubba  saw  tnat  it  would  be  difficult  to 
carry  it  by  a  direct  assault.  On  the  other  hand 
it  was  not  well  supplied  with  water  or  provis- 
ions, and  the  numerous  multitude  which  hac! 


A.D.  878.]  ARMY  REASSEMBLED.  177 

Hubba's  plan  of  operations.  Preparations  of  Odnn 

crowded  into  it.  would,  as  Hubba  thought,  be 
speedily  compelled  to  surrender  by  thirst  and 
famine,  if  he  were  simply  to  wait  a  short  time, 
till  their  scanty  stock  cf  food  was  consumed. 
Perhaps  the  raven  did  not  flutter  her  wings 
when  Hubba  approached  the  castle,  but  by  her 
apparent  lifelessness  portended  calamity  if  an 
attack  were  to  be  made.  At  all  events,  Hubba 
decided  not  to  attack  the  castle,  but  to  invest 
it  closely  on  all  sides,  with  his  army  on  the  land 
and  with  his  vessels  on  the  side  of  the  sea,  and 
thus  reduce  it  by  famine.  He  accordinglj 
stationed  his  troops  and  his  galleys  at  thei"  posts 
and  established  himself  in  his  tent,  quietly  ti 
await  the  result. 

He  did  not  have  to  wait  so  long  as  he  antici- 
pated. Odun,  finding  that  his  danger  was  so 
imminent,  nay,  that  his  destruction  was  inevi- 
table if  he  remained  in  his  castle,  thus  shut  in, 
determined,  in  the  desperation  to  which  the 
emergency  reduced  him,  to  make  a  sally.  Ac- 
cordingly, one  night,  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  so 
that  the  indications  of  any  movement  within  the 
castle  might  not  be  perceived  by  the  sentinels 
and  watcnmen  in  Hubba's  lines,  he  began  to 
marshal  aud  organize  his  army  for  a  sudden  and 
furious  onset  upon  the  camp  of  the  Danes- 

24—12 


178  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  |AD.87£ 

Sally  of  the  Saxons.  Death  of  Hubba 

They  waited,  when  all  was  ready,  till  the  first 
break  of  day.  To  make  the  surprise  most  ef. 
feotual,  it  was  necessary  that  it  should  tak< 
place  in  the  night ;  but  then,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  success,  if  they  should  be  successful,  would 
••equire,  in  order  to  be  followed  up  with  ad- 
vantage,  the  light  of  day.  Odun  chose,  there- 
fore, the  earliest  dawn  as  the  time  for  his  at- 
tempt, as  this  was  the  only  period  which  would 
give  him  at  first  darkness  for  his  surprise,  and 
afterward  light  for  his  victory.  The  time  was 
well  chosen,  the  arrangements  were  all  well 
made,  and  the  result  corresponded  with  the 
character  of  the  preparations.  The  sally  wa* 
triumphantly  successful. 

The  Danes,  who  were  all,  except  their  sen- 
tinels, sleeping  quietly  and  secure,  were  sud 
denly  aroused  by  the  unearthly  and  terrific  yell* 
with  which  the  Saxons  burst  into  the  lines  of 
their  encampment.  They  flew  to  arms,  but 
the  shock  of  the  onset  produced  a  panic  and 
confusion  which  soon  made  their  cause  hopeless. 
Odun  and  his  immediate  followers  pressed  di 
rectly  forward  into  Hubba's  tent,  where  they 
sm  prised  the  commander,  and  massacred  him 
on  the  spot.  They  seized,  too,  to  their  inex- 
pressible joy,  the  sac;  ed  banner,  which  was  in 


A.D.  878.]  ARMY  REASSEMBLED.  179 

Capture  of  the  banner.  Slaughter  of  the  Dane* 

Hubba's  tent,  and  bore  it  forth,  rejoicing  in  it, 
not  merely  as  a  splendid  trophy  of  their  victory, 
bnt  as  a  loss  to  their  enemies  which  fixed  and 
sealed  their  doom. 

The  Danes  fled  before  their  enemies  in  ter- 
ror, and  the  consternation  which  they  felt,  when 
they  learned  that  their  banner  had  been  cap- 
tured and  their  leader  slain,  was  soon  changed 
into  absolute  despair.  The  Saxons  slew  them 
without  mercy,  cutting  down  some  as  they  were 
running  before  them  in  their  headlong  flight, 
and  transfixing  others  with  their  spears  and  ar- 
rows as  they  lay  upon  the  ground,  trampled 
down  by  the  crowds  and  the  confusion.  There 
was  no  place  of  refuge  to  which  they  could  fly 
except  to  their  ships.  Those,  therefore,  that 
escaped  the  weapons  of  their  pursuers,  fled  in 
the  direction  of  the  water,  where  the  strong  and 
the  fortunate  gained  the  boats  and  the  galleys, 
while  the  exhausted  and  the  wounded  were 
drowned.  The  fleet  sailed  away  from  the  coast, 
and  the  Saxons,  on  surveying  the  scene  of  the 
terrible  contest,  estimated  that  there  were 
twelve  hundred  dead  bodies  lying  in  the  field. 

This  victory,  and  especially  the  capture  o! 
the  Raven,  produced  vast  effects  on  the  mind* 
both  of  the  Saxons  and  of  the  Danes,  animat- 


180  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [AD. 878 

Alfred's  prospects  brighten.  Alarm  of  the  Dane* 

ing  and  encouraging  the  one,  and  depressing 
the  other  with  superstitious  as  well  as  natural 
and  proper  fears.  The  influence  of  the  battle 
was  sufficient,  in  fact,  wholly  to  change  Al- 
fred's position  and  prospect.  The  news  of  the 
discovery  of  the  place  of  his  retreat,  and  of  the 
measures  which  he  was  maturing  for  taking 
the  field  again  to  meet  his  enemies,  spread 
throughout  the  country.  The  people  were  ev- 
ery where  ready  to  take  up  arms  and  join  him. 
There  were  large  bodies  of  Danes  in  several 
parts  of  his  dominions  still,  and  they,  alarmed 
somewhat  at  these  indications  of  new  efforts  of 
resistance  on  the  part  of  their  enemies,  began 
to  concentrate  their  strength  and  prepare  for 
%nother  struggle. 

The  main  body  of  the  Danes  were  encamped 
at  a  place  called  Edendune,  in  Wiltshire.  There 
is  a  hill  near,  which  the  army  made  their  main 
position,  and  the  marks  of  their  fortifications 
have  been  traced  there,  either  in  imagination  or 
reality,  in  modern  times.  Alfred  wished  tc 
gain  more  precise  and  accurate  information 
than  he  yet  possessed  of  the  numbers  and  si,n« 
ation  of  his  foes ;  and,  in  order  to  do  this.  \a? 
etead  of  employing  a  spy,  he  conceived  the  w 
sign  of  going  himself  in  disguise  to  explore  Jia 


A.D  878.]    ARMF  REASSEMBLED.  181 

Alfred  resolves  to  explore  the  Danish  camp.  His  disguise 

oamp  of  the  Danes.  The  undertaking  was  full 
of  danger,  but  yet  not  quite  so  desperate  as  at 
first  it  might  seem.  Alfred  had  had  abundant 
opportunities  during  tha  months  of  his  seclusion 
to  become  familiar  with  the  modes  of  speech 
and  the  manners  of  peasant  life.  He  had  also, 
in  his  early  years,  stored  his  memory  with  Sax- 
on poetry,  as  has  already  been  stated.  He  was 
fond  of  music,  too,  and  well  skilled  in  it;  so 
that  he  har1,  every  qualification  for  assuminsr  the 
character  of  one  of  those  raving  harpers,  who, 
in  those  days,  followed  armies,  to  sing  songs 
and  make  amusement  for  the  soldiers.  He  de- 
termined, consequently,  to  assume  the  disguis* 
of  a  harper,  and  to  wander  into  the  camp  of  the 
Danes,  that  he  might  make  his  own  observa- 
tions on  the  nature  and  magnitude  of  the  force 
with  which  he  was  about  to  contend. 

He  accordingly  clothed  himself  in  the  garb 
of  the  character  which  he  was  to  assume,  and, 
taking  his  harp  upon  his  shoulder,  wandersd 
away  in  the  direction  of  the  Northmen's  camp. 
Such  a  strolling  countryman,  half  musician, 
half  beggar  would  enter  without  suspicion  or 
hinderance  into  the  camp,  even  though  he  be- 
longed to  the  nation  of  the  enemy.  Alfred  waa 
readily  admitted,  and  he  wandered  at  will  about 


182  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  878, 

Alfred  in  the  Danish  camp.  He  plays  for  the  king. 

the  lines,  to  play  and  sing  to  the  soldiers  wher- 
ever he  found  groups  to  listen — intent,  appar- 
ently, on  nothing  but  his  scanty  pittance  of  pay, 
while  he  was  really  studying,  with  the  utmost 
attention  and  care,  the  number,  and  disposition, 
and  discipline  of  the  troops,  and  all  the  arrange- 
ments of  the  army.  He  came  very  near  dis- 
covering himself,  however,  by  overacting  his 
part.  His  music  was  so  well  executed  and  his 
ballads  were  so  fine,  that  reports  of  the  excel- 
lence of  his  performance  reached  the  command- 
er's ears.  He  ordered  the  pretended  harper  to 
be  sent  into  his  tent,  that  he  might  hear  him 
play  and  sing.  Alfred  went,  and  thus  he  had 
the  opportunity  of  completing  his  observations 
in  the  tent,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Danish 

king- 
Alfred  found  that  the  Danish  camp  was  in  a 

very  unguarded  and  careless  condition.  The 
name  of  the  commander,  or  king,  was  Guth- 
rum.*  Alfred,  while  playing  in  his  presence, 
studied  his  character,  and  it  is  improbable  that 
the  very  extraordinary  course  which  he  after- 
ward pursued  in  respect  to  Guthrum  may  have 
been  caused,  in  a  great  degree,  by  the  opportu- 

'  Spelled  sometimes  Qodron,  Gutrum,  Gythram,  and  m 
various  other  ways. 


A..D.  878.]  ARMY  REASSEMBLED.  183 

Quthrura'g  reception  of  Alfred.  Hia  attendant  and  companion 

nity  he  now  enjoyed  of  domestic  access  to  him 
and  of  obtaining  a  near  and  intimate  view  of 
his  social  and  personal  character.  Guthrum 
treated  the  supposed  harper  with  great  kind- 
ness. He  was  much  pleased  both  with  his  sing- 
ing and  his  songs,  being  attracted,  too,  proba- 
bly, in  some  degree,  by  a  certain  mysterious 
interest  which  the  humble  stranger  must  have 
inspired  ;  for  Alfred  possessed  personal  and  in- 
tellectual traits  of  character  which  could  not 
but  have  given  to  his  conversation  and  his  man- 
ners a  certain  charm,  notwithstanding  all  his 
efforts  to  disguise  or  conceal  them. 

However  this  may  be,  Guthrum  gave  Alfred 
a  very  friendly  reception,  and  the  hour  of  social 
intercourse  and  enjoyment  which  the  general 
and  the  ballad-singer  spent  together  was  only 
a  precursor  of  the  more  solid  and  honest  friend- 
ship  which  afterward  subsisted  between  them 
as  allied  sovereigns. 

Alfred  had  one  person  with  him,  whom  h« 
had  brought  from  Ethelney — a  sort  of  attend- 
ant— to  help  him  carry  his  harp,  and  to  be  a 
companion  for  him  on  the  way.  He  would  have 
needed  such  a  companion  even  if  he  had  been 
only  what  he  seemed ;  but  for  a  spy,  going  in 
disguise  into  the  camp  of  such  ferocious  ene- 


184  ALFRKD  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  878 

Alfred  returns  to  Etbclney.  Hig  plan* 

mies  as  the  Danes,  it  would  seem  absolutely 
indispensable  that  he  should  have  the  support 
and  sympathy  of  a  friend. 

Alfred,  after  finishing  his  examination  of  the 
samp  of  Guthrum,  and  forming  secretly,  in  hi* 
own  mind,  his  plans  for  attacking  it,  moved 
leisurely  away,  taking  his  harp  and  his  attend- 
ant with  him,  as  if  going  on  in  search  of  some 
new  place  to  practice  his  profession.  As  soon 
as  he  was  out  of  the  reach  of  observation,  he 
made  a  circuit  and  returned  in  safety  to  Ethel- 
ney.  The  season  was  now  spring,  and  every 
thing  favored  the  commencement  of  his  enter- 
prise. 

His  first  measure  was  to  send  out  some  trusty 
messengers  into  all  the  neighboring  counties, 
to  visit  and  confer  with  his  friends  at  their  va- 
rious castles  and  strong-holds.  These  messen- 
gers were  to  announce  to  such  Saxon  leaders  as 
they  should  find  that  Alfred  was  still  alive,  and 
that  he  was  preparing  to  take  the  field  against 
the  Danes  again ;  and  were  to  invite  them  to 
assemble  at  a  certain  place  appointed,  in  a  for- 
est, with  as  many  followers  as  they  could  bring, 
that  the  king  might  there  complete  the  organ- 
ization of  an  army,  and  hold  conarultatkn  with 
them  to  mature  their  plans 


A.D.  878.]  ARMV  REASSEMBLED.  183 

Belwood  Forest  Stone  of  Egbert 

The  wood  on  the  borders  of  whioh  they  were 
to  meet  was  an  extensive  forest  of  willows,  fi£ 
teen  miles  long  and  six  broad  It  was  known 
by  the  name  of  Selwood  Forest.  There  was  a 
oeiebrated  place  called  the  Stone  of  Egbert, 
where  the  meeting  was  to  be  held.  Each  chief- 
tain whom  the  messengers  should  visit  was  to 
be  invited  to  come  to  the  Stone  of  Egbert  at 
the  appointed  day,  with  as  many  armed  men, 
and  yet  in  as  secret  and  noiseless  a  manner  as 
possible,  so  as  thus,  while  concentrating  all 
their  forces  in  preparation  for  their  intended  at- 
tack, to  avoid  every  thing  which  would  tend  to 
put  Guthrum  on  his  guard. 

The  messengers  found  the  Saxon  chieftains 
?ery  ready  to  enter  into  Alfred's  plans.  They 
were  rejoiced  to  hear,  as  some  of  them  did  now 
for  the  first  time  hear,  that  he  was  alive,  and 
that  the  spirit  and  energy  of  his  former  charac- 
ter were  about  to  be  exhibited  again.  Every 
thing,  in  fact,  conspired  to  favor  the  enterprise. 
The  long  and  gloomy  months  of  winter  were 
past,  and  the  opening  spring  brought  with  it, 
as  usual,  excitement  and  readiness  for  action. 
The  tidings  of  Odun's  victory  over  Hubba,  and 
the  capture  of  the  sacred  raven,  whioh  had 
every  where,  had  awakened  a  genera) 


L86  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.   [A.D.  878 

The  great  meeting  in  Selwood  Forest  Rejoicing* 

enthusiasm,  and  a  desire  on  the  part  of  all 
the  Saxon  chieftains  and  soldiers  to  try  theii 
strength  once  more  with  their  ancient  enemies. 

Accordingly,  those  to  whom  the  secret  was 
intrusted  eagerly  accepted  the  invitation,  or, 
perhaps,  as  it  should  rather  be  expressed,  obeyed 
the  summons  which  Alfred  sent  them.  They 
marshaled  their  forces  without  any  delay,  and 
repaired  to  the  appointed  place  in  Selwood  For- 
est. Alfred  was  ready  to  meet  them  there. 
Two  days  were  occupied  with  the  arrivals  of 
the  different  parties,  and  in  the  mutual  con- 
gratulations and  rejoicings.  Growing  more 
bold  as  their  sense  of  strength  increased  with 
their  increasing  numbers,  and  with  the  ardor 
and  enthusiasm  which  their  mutual  influence 
on  each  other  inspired,  they  spent  the  intervals 
of  their  consultations  in  festivities  and  rejoic- 
ings, celebrating  the  occasion  with  games  and 
martial  music.  The  forest  resounded  with  the 
blasts  of  horns,  the  sound  of  the  trumpets,  the 
clash  of  arms,  and  the  shouts  of  joy  and  con- 
gratulation, which  all  the  efforts  of  the  more 
prudent  and  cautious  could  not  repress. 

In  the  mean  time,  Guthrum  remained  in  his 
encampment  at  Edendune.  This  seems  to  have 
been  the  principal  concentration  of  the  forces 


A.D.  878.]   ARMY  REASSEMBLED.  187 

Gu thrum  In  his  camp.  Ilia  sense  of  security 

of  the  Danes  which  were  marshaled  for  military 
service ;  and  yet  there  were  large  numbers  of 
the  people,  disbanded  soldiers,  or  non-combat- 
ants, who  had  come  over  in  the  train  of  the  ar- 
mies, that  had  taken  possession  of  the  lands 
which  they  had  conquered,  and  had  settled  upon 
them  for  cultivation,  as  if  to  make  them  their 
permanent  home.  These  intruders  were  scat- 
tered in  larger  or  smaller  bodies  in  various  parts 
of  the  kingdom,  the  Saxon  inhabitants  being 
prevented  from  driving  them  away  by  the  in- 
fluence and  power  of  the  armies,  which  still 
kept  possession  of  the  field,  and  preserved  their 
military  organization  complete,  ready  for  action 
at  any  time  whenever  any  organized  Saxon 
force  should  appear. 

Guthrum,  as  we  have  said,  headed  the  larg 
est  of  these  armies.  He  was  aware  of  the  in 
creasing  excitement  that  was  spreading  among 
the  Saxon  population,  and  he  even  heard  ru- 
mors of  the  movements  which  the  bodies  of 
Saxons  made,  in  going  under  their  several  chief* 
tains  to  Selwood  Forest.  He  expected  that 
some  important  movement  was  about  to  occur, 
but  he  had  no  idea  that  preparations  so  extend- 
ed, and  for  so  decisive  a  demonstration,  were 
so  far  advanced.  He  remained,  therefore,  at 


188  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 878 

Alfred  marches  toward  Guthrum'i  camp.  He  encamps  at  .£cglea, 

his  camp  at  Edendune,  gradually  completing 
his  arrangements  for  his  summer  campaign,  but 
making  no  preparations  for  resisting  any  sud- 
den or  violent  attack. 

When  all  was  ready,  Alfred  put  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  forces  which  had  collected  at 
the  Egbert  Stone,  or,  as  it  is  quaintly  spelled 
in  some  of  the  old  accounts,  Ecgbyrth-stan. 
There  is  a  place  called  Brixstan  in  that  vicinity 
now,  which  may  possibly  be  the  same  name 
modified  and  abridged  by  the  lapse  of  tima 
Alfred  moved  forward  toward  Guthrum's  camp 
He  went  only  a  part  of  the  way  the  first  day 
intending  to  finish  the  march  by  getting  into 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  enemy  on  the 
morrow.  He  succeeded  in  accomplishing  this 
object,  and  encamped  the  next  night  at  a  place 
called  ^Ecglea,*  on  an  eminence  from  which  he 
could  reconnoiter,  from  a  great  distance,  the 
position  of  the  arrr\y. 

That  night,  as  he  was  sleeping  in  his  tent, 
he  had  a  remarkable  dream.  He  dreamed  that 
his  relative,  St.  Neot,  who  has  been  already 
mentioned  as  the  chaplain  or  priest  who  reprov- 

*  Some  think  that  this  place  is  the  modern  Leigh ;  others, 
that  it  was  Highley ;  either  of  which  names  might  hare  ben 
deduced  from  jEcglea 


A.D.  878.]   ARMY  REASSEMBLED.  189 

Alfred's  remarkable  dream.  Enthusiasm  of  the  army. 

ed  him  so  severely  for  his  sins  in  the  early  part 
of  his  reign,  appeared  to  him.  The  apparition 
bid  him  not  fear  the  immense  army  of  pagans 
whom  he  was  going  to  encounter  on  the  mor- 
row God,  he  said,  had  accepted  his  penitence, 
anc  was  now  about  to  take  him  under  his  spe- 
cial protection.  The  calamities  which  had  be- 
fallen him  were  sent  in  judgment  to  punish  the 
pride  and  arrogance  which  he  had  manifested 
in  the  early  part  of  his  reign ;  but  his  faults 
had  been  expiated  by  the  sufferings  he  had  en- 
dured, and  by  the  penitence  and  the  piety 
which  they  had  been  the  means  of  awakening 
ji  his  heart ;  and  now  he  might  go  forward  into 
ihe  battle  without  fear,  as  God  was  about  to 
give  him  the  victory  over  all  his  enemies. 

The  king  related  his  dream  the  next  morn- 
ing to  his  army.  The  enthusiasm  and  ardor 
which  the  chieftains  and  the  men  had  felt  be- 
fore were  very  much  increased  by  this  assur- 
ance of  success.  They  broke  up  their  encamp- 
ment, therefore,  and  commenced  the  march, 
which  was  to  bring  them,  before  many  hours, 
into  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  with  great  alac- 
rity and  eager  expectations  of  success. 


L^O  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D  878 

Alfred  puts  hie  army  in  motion.  Position  of  GB thrum 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  VICTORY  OVER  THE  DANES. 

ENCOURAGED  by  his  dream,  and  anima 
ted  by  the  number  and  the  elation  of  hi* 
followers,  Alfred  led  his  army  onward  toward 
the  part  of  the  country  where  the  camp  of  the 
enemy  lay.  He  intended  to  surprise  them ; 
and,  although  Guthrum  had  heard  vague  ru- 
mors that  some  great  Saxon  movement  was  in 
train,  he  viewed  the  sudden  appearance  of  this 
large  and  well-organized  army  with  amaze- 
ment. 

He  had  possession  of  the  hill  near  Edendune, 
which  has  been  already  described.  He  had  es- 
tablished his  head-quarters  here,  and  made  his 
strongest  fortifications  on  the  summit  of  the 
eminence.  The  main  body  of  his  forces  were, 
however,  encamped  upon  the  plain,  over  which 
they  extended,  in  vast  numbers,  far  and  wide 
Alfred  halted  his  men  to  change  the  order  of 
march  into  the  order  of  battle.  Here  he  made 
an  address  to  his  men.  As  no  time  was  t«  bo 
lost,  he  spoke  but  a  few  word*.  He  rerniniet 


A.D  878.]       SAXON  VICTORY.  191 

The  battle.  Defeat  of  the  D«n«« 

them  that  they  were  to  contend,  that  day,  to 
rescue  themselves  and  their  country  from  the 
intolerable  oppression  of  a  horde  of  pagan  idol- 
aters ;  that  God  was  on  their  side,  and  had 
promised  them  the  victory ;  and  he  urged  them 
to  act  like  men,  so  as  to  deserve  the  success 
and  happiness  which  was  in  store  for  them. 

The  army  then  advanced  to  the  attack,  the 
Danes  having  been  drawn  out  hastily,  but  with 
as  much  order  as  the  suddenness  of  the  call 
would  allow,  to  meet  them.  When  near  enough 
for  their  arrows  to  take  effect,  the  long  line  of 
Alfred's  troops  discharged  their  arrows.  They 
then  advanced  to  the  attack  with  lances ;  but 
soon  these  and  all  other  weapons  which  kept 
the  combatants  at  a  distance  were  thrown  aside, 
and  it  became  a  terrible  conflict  with  swords, 
man  to  man. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Danes  began  to 
yield.  They  were  not  sustained  by  the  strong 
assurance  of  victory,  nor  by  the  desperate  de- 
termination which  animated  the  Saxons.  The 
flight  soon  became  general.  They  could  not 
gain  the  fortification  on  the  hill,  for  Alfred  had 
forced  his  way  in  between  the  encampment  on 
the  plains  and  the  approaches  to  the  hill.  The 
Danes,  consequently,  not  being  able  to  find  ref 


192  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  878 

Flight  of  the  Danes.  Pursuit  of  the  Saxons 

uge  in  either  part  of  the  position  they  had  tak- 
en, fled  altogether  from  the  field,  pursued  by 
Alfred's  victorious  columns  as  fast  as  they  could 
follow. 

Guthrum  succeeded,  by  great  and  vigorous 
exertions,  in  rallying  his  men,  or,  at  least,  in 
so  far  collecting  and  concentrating  the  separate 
bodies  of  the  fugitives  as  to  change  the  flight 
into  a  retreat,  having  some  semblance  of  mili- 
tary order.  Vast  numbers  had  been  left  dead 
upon  the  field.  Others  had  been  taken  prison- 
era.  Others  still  had  become  hopelessly  dispers- 
ed, having  fled  from  the  field  of  battle  in  di- 
verse directions,  and  wandered  so  far,  in  their 
terror,  that  they  had  not  been  able  to  rejoin 
their  leader  in  his  retreat.  Then,  great  num- 
bers of  those  who  pressed  on  under  Guthrum's 
command,  exhausted  by  fatigue,  or  spent  and 
fainting  from  their  wounds,  sank  down  by  the 
way-side  to  die,  while  their  comrades,  intent 
only  upon  their  own  safety,  pressed  incessantly 
on.  The  retreating  army  was  thus,  in  a  short 
time,  reduced  to  a  small  fraction  of  its  original 
force  This  remaining  body,  with  Guthrum  at 
their  head,  continued  their  retreat  until  they 
reached  a  castle  which  promised  them  protec- 
tion. They  poured  in  over  the  drawbridge* 


A..D.878.J       SAXON   VICTORY.  198 

The  Dane*  shut  themselves  up  in  a  castle.  Elation  of  the  Saxon* 

and  through  the  gates  of  this  fortress  in  extremo 
confusion ;  and  feeling  suddenly,  and  for  the 
moment,  entirely  relieved  at  their  escape  from 
the  imminence  of  the  immediate  danger,  they 
shut  themselves  in. 

The  finding  of  such  a  retreat  would  *ave 
been  great  good  fortune  for  these  wretched  fu- 
gitives if  there  had  been  any  largo  force  in  the 
country  to  come  soon  to  their  deliverance  ;  but, 
as  they  were  without  provisions  and  without 
Water,  they  soon  be*van  to  perceive  that,  unless 
they  obtained  some  speedy  help  from  without, 
they  had  only  escaped  the  Saxon  lances  and 
swords  to  die  a  ten  times  more  bitter  death  of 
thirst  and  famine ;  and  there  was  no  force  to 
relieve  them.  The  army  which  had  been  thus 
defeated  was  the  great  central  force  of  the 
Danes  upon  the  island.  The  other  detachments 
and  independent  bands  which  were  scattered 
about  the  land  were  thunderstruck  at  the  news 
of  this  terrible  defeat.  The  Saxons,  too,  were 
every  where  aroused  to  the  highest  pitch  of  en- 
thusiasm at  the  reappearance  of  their  king  and 
the  tidings  of  his  victory.  The  whole  country 
was  in  arms.  Guthrum,  however,  shut  up  in 
his  castle,  and  closely  invested  with  Alfred's 
forces,  had  no  means  of  knowing  what  wa» 
24—13 


194  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  878 

Hopeless  condition  of  the  Dane*.  Surrender  of  Guthrum. 

passing  without.  His  numbers  were  so  small 
in  comparison  with  those  besieging  him  that  it 
would  have  been  madness  for  him  to  have  at- 
tempted a  sally ;  and  he  would  not  surrender. 
He  waited  day  after  day,  hoping  against  hope 
that  some  succor  would  come.  His  half-fam- 
ished sentinels  gazed  from  the  watch-towers  of 
the  castle  all  around,  looking  for  some  cloud  of 
distant  dust,  or  weapon  glancing  in  the  sun, 
which  might  denote  the  approach  of  friends 
coming  to  their  rescue.  This  lasted  fourteen 
days.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  the  number 
within  this  wretched  prison  who  were  raving  in 
the  delirium  of  famine  and  thirst,  or  dying  in 
agony,  became  too  great  for  Guthrum  to  per- 
sist any  longer.  He  surrendered.  Alfred  was 
once  more  in  possession  of  his  kingdom. 

During  the  fourteen  days  that  elapsed  be- 
tween the  victory  on  the  field  of  battle  and  the 
final  surrender  of  Guthrum,  Alfred,  feeling  that 
the  power  was  now  in  his  hands,  had  had  am- 
ple time  to  reflect  on  the  course  which  he  should 
pursue  with  his  subjugated  enemies ;  and  the 
result  to  which  he  came,  and  the  measure  which 
he  adopted,  evince,  as  much  as  any  act  of  hii 
life,  the  greatness,  and  originality,  and  noble 
ness  of  his  character.  Here  were  two  distinct 


A.D.878.J       SAXON  VICTORY.  195 

Tho  Saxons  and  Dane*  equally  aggressor*.  Their  relation* 

and  independent  races  on  the  same  island,  that 
had  been  engaged  for  many  years  in  a  most 
fierce  and  sanguinary  struggle,  each  gaining  at 
times  a  temporary  and  partial  victory,  but  nei- 
ther able  entirely  to  subdue  or  exterminate  the 
other.  The  Danes,  it  is  true,  might  be  consid- 
ered as  the  aggressors  in  this  contest,  and,  as 
such,  wholly  in  the  wrong;  but  then,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  was  to  be  remembered  that  the 
ancestors  of  the  Saxons  had  been  guilty  of  pre- 
cisely the  same  aggressions  upon  the  Britons, 
who  held  the  island  before  them ;  so  that  the 
Danes  were,  after  all,  only  intruding  upon  in- 
truders. It  was,  besides,  the  general  maxim  of 
the  age,  that  the  territories  of  the  world  were 
prizes  open  for  competition,  and  that  the  right 
to  possess  and  to  govern  vested  naturally  and 
justly  in  those  who  could  show  themselves  the 
strongest.  Then,  moreover,  the  Danes  had  been 
now  for  many  years  in  Britain.  Vast  numbers 
had  quietly  settled  on  agricultural  lands.  They 
had  become  peaceful  inhabitants.  They-  had 
established,  in  many  cases,  friendly  relations 
with  the  Saxons.  They  had  intermarried  with 
them ;  and  the  two  races,  instead  of  appearing, 
as  at  first,  simply  as  two  hostile  armies  of  com- 
batants contending  on  the  field,  had  been,  foi 


196  ALFRED  TH£:  GREAT.  [A.D.  878 

impossibility  of  expelling  the  Danes.  Wise  policy. 

some  years,  acquiring  the  character  of  a  mixed 
population,  established  and  settled,  though  het- 
erogeneous, and,  in  some  sense,  antagonistic 
still  To  root  out  all  these  people,  intruders 
though  they  were,  and  send  them  back  again 
across  the  German  Ocean,  to  regions  where 
they  no  longer  had  friends  or  home,  would  have 
been  a  desperate — in  fact,  an  impossible  under 
taking. 

Alfred  saw  all  these  things.  He  took,  in  fact, 
a  general,  and  comprehensive,  and  impartial 
view  of  the  whole  subject,  instead  of  regarding 
it,  as  most  conquerors  in  his  situation  would' 
have  done,  in  a  partisan,  that  is,  an  exclusively 
Saxon  point  of  view  He  saw  how  impossible 
it  was  to  undo  what  had  been  done,  and  wisely 
determined  to  take  things  as  they  were,  ana 
make  the  best  of  the  present  situation  of  affairs, 
leaving  the  past,  and  aiming  only  at  accom- 
plishing the  best  that  was  now  attainable  for 
the  future.  It  would  be  well  if  all  men  who 
are  engaged  in  quarrels  which  they  vainly  en- 
deavor to  settle  by  discussing  and  disputing 
about  what  is  past  and  gone,  and  can  now  nev- 
er be  recalled,  would  follow  his  example.  In 
all  such  cases  we  should  say,  let  the  past  be  for- 
gotten, and,  taking  things  as  they  now  are,  lev 


A.D.  878.]       SAXON  VICTORY.  197 

Alfred'*  generosity.  Terms  offered  Guthrum 

as  see  what  we  can  do  to  secure  peace  and  hap- 
piness in  future. 

The  policy  which  Alfred  determined  to  adopt 
was,  not  to  attempt  the  utter  extirpation  of  the 
Danes  from  England,  but  only  to  expel  the  arm- 
sd  forces  from  his  own  dominions,  allowing 
those  peaceably  disposed  to  remain  in  quiet  pos- 
session of  such  lands  in  other  parts  of  the  isl- 
and as  they  already  occupied.  Instead,  there- 
fore, of  treating  Guthrum  with  harshness  and 
severity  as  a  captive  enemy,  he  told  him  that 
he  was  willing  not  only  to  give  him  his  liberty, 
out  to  regard  him,  on  certain  conditions,  as  a 
friend  and  an  ally,  and  allow  him  to  reign  as  a 
*ing  over  that  part  of  England  which  his  coun- 
trymen possessed,  and  which  was  beyond  Al- 
fred's own  frontiers.  These  conditions  were, 
that  Guthrvn  was  to  go  away  with  all  his 
forces  and  followers  out  of  Alfred's  kingdom, 
under  solemn  oaths  never  to  return  ;  that  he 
was  to  confine  himself  thenceforth  to  the  south- 
eastern part  of  England,  a  territory  from  which 
the  Saxon  government  had  long  disappeared , 
that  he  was  to  give  hostages  for  the  faithful  ful- 
fillment of  these  stipulations,  without,  however 
receiving  on  his  part  any  hostages  from  Alfred. 
There  was  «ne  other  stipulation,  more  extraor- 


i98  ALFRED  THE  GREUAI    [A.D.  878 

Guthrum  agrees  to  become  a  Christian.       Sudden  change  in  his  affair* 

dinary  than  all  the  rest,  viz.,  that  Guthrurn 
should  become  a  convert  to  Christianity,  and 
publicly  avow  his  adhesion  to  the  Saxon  faith 
by  being  baptized  in  the  presence  of  the  leaders 
of  both  armies,  in  the  most  open  and  solemn 
manner.  In  this  proposed  baptism,  Alfred  him- 
self would  stand  his  godfather. 

This  idea  of  winning  over  a  pagan  soldier  to 
the  Christian  Church  as  the  price  of  his  ransom 
from  famine  and  death  in  the  castle  to  which 
his  direst  enemy  had  driven  him — this  enemy 
himself,  the  instrument  thus  of  so  rude  a  mode 
of  conversion,  to  be  the  sponsor  of  the  new  com- 
municant's religious  profession — was  one  in 
keeping,  it  is  true,  with  the  spirit  of  the  times, 
but  still  it  is  one  which,  under  the  circumstan- 
ces of  this  case,  only  a  mind  of  great  original- 
ity and  power  would  have  conceived  of  or  at- 
tempted to  carry  into  effect.  Guthrum  might 
well  be  astonished  at  this  unexpected  turn  in 
his  affairs.  A  few  days  before,  he  saw  himself 
on  the  brink  of  utter  and  absolute  destruction 
Shut  up  with  his  famished  soldiers  in  a  gloomy 
castle,  with  the  enemy,  bitter  and  implacable, 
as  he  supposed,  thundering  at  the  gates,  the 
only  alternatives  before  him  seemed  to  be  to 
die  of  starvation  and  phrensy  within  the  wall* 


A.D.878.]      SAXON  VICTORY.  19s 

The  term*  accepted.  The  Dane*  liberated. 

which  covered  him,  or  by  a  cruel  military  exe- 
cution in  the  event  of  surrender.  He  surren- 
dered at  last,  as  it  would  seem,  only  because 
the  utmost  that  human  cruelty  can  inflict  is 
more  tolerable  than  the  horrid  agonies  of  thirst 
and  hunger. 

We  can  not  but  hope  that  Alfred  was  led,  in 
some  degree,  by  a  generous  principle  of  Chris- 
tian forgiveness  in  proposing  the  terms  which  he 
did  to  his  fallen  enemy,  and  also  that  Guthrum, 
in  accepting  them,  was  influenced,  in  part  at 
least,  by  emotions  of  gratitude  and  by  admiration 
of  the  high  example  of  Christian  virtue  which 
Alfred  thus  exhibited.  At  any  rate,  he  did  ac- 
eept  them.  The  army  of  the  Danes  were  liber- 
ated from  their  confinement,  and  commenced 
their  march  to  the  eastward ;  Guthrum  him- 
self, attended  by  thirty  of  his  chiefs  and  many 
other  followers,  became  Alfred's  guest  for  some 
weeks,  until  the  most  pressing  measures  for  the 
organization  of  Alfred's  government  could  be  at- 
tended to,  and  the  necessary  preparations  for 
the  baptism  could  be  made.  At  length,  some 
weeks  after  the  surrender,  the  parties  all  re- 
paired together,  now  firm  friends  and  allies,  to 
a  place  near  Ethelney,  where  the  ceremony  of 
baptism  was  to  be  performed. 


200  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.378 

frobable  effects  of  Guthrum's  baptism.  The  ceremonie* 

The  admission  of  this  pagan  chieftain  into 
the  Christian  Church  did  not  probably  mark 
any  real  change  in  his  opinions  on  the  question 
of  paganism  and  Christianity,  but  it  was  not  the 
less  important  in  its  consequences  on  that  ac- 
oount.  The  moral  effect  of  it  upon  the  minds  of 
his  followers  was  of  great  value.  It  opened  the 
way  for  their  reception  of  the  Christian  faith, 
if  any  of  them  should  be  disposed  to  receive 
it.  Then  it  changed  wholly  the  feeling  which 
prevailed  among  the  Saxon  soldiery,  and  also 
the  Saxon  chieftains,  in  respect  to  these  ene- 
mies. A  great  deal  of  the  bitterness  of  exas- 
peration with  which  they  had  regarded  them 
arose  from  the  fact  that  they  were  pagans,  the 
haters  and  despisers  of  the  rites  and  institutions 
of  religion.  Guthrum's  approaching  baptism 
was  to  change  all  this ;  and  Alfred,  in  leading 
him  to  the  baptismal  font,  was  achieving,  in 
the  estimation  not  only  of  all  England,  but  of 
France  and  of  Rome,  a  far  greater  and  nobler 
victory  than  when  he  conquered  his  armies  on 
the  field  of  Edendune. 

The  various  ceremonies  connected  with  the 
baptism  were  protracted  through  several  days. 
They  were  commenced  at  a  place  called  Aulre, 
near  Ethelnev>  where  there  was  a  religious  es- 


A.D.b7S.j       JAXON    VICTORY 


Gathruin's  new  name.  Public  festivities. 

tablishment  and  priests  to  perform  the  necessary 
•ites.  The  new  convert  was  clothed  in  white 
garments — the  symbol  of  purity,  then  custom- 
trily  worn  by  candidates  for  baptism — and  was 
covered  with  a  mystic  veil.  They  gave  Guth- 
rum  a  new  name — a  Christian,  that  is,  a  Saxon 
name.  Converted  pagans  received  always  a 
new  name,  in  those  days,  when  baptized  ;  and 
our  common  phrase,  the  Christian  name,  has 
arisen  from  the  circumstance.  Guthrum's 
Christian  name  was  Ethelstan.  Alfred  was 
his  godfather.  After  the  baptism  the  whole 
party  proceeded  to  a  town  a  few  miles  distant^ 
which  Alfred  had  decided  to  make  a  royal  res- 
idence, and  there  other  ceremonies  connected 
with  the  new  convert's  admission  to  the  Church 
were  performed,  the  whole  ending  with  a  series 
of  great  public  festivities  and  rejoicings. 

A  very  full  and  formal  treaty  of  peace  and 
amity  was  now  concluded  between  the  two  SOY- 
ereigns  ;  for  Guthrum  was  styled  in  the  treaty 
%  king,  and  was  to  hold,  in  the  dominions  as- 
signed him  to  the  eastward  of  Alfred's  realm; 
an  independent  jurisdiction.  He  agreed,  how- 
ever, by  this  treaty,  to  confine  himself,  from  that 
time  forward,  to  the  limits  thus  assigned.  If 
the  reader  wishes  to  see  what  part  of  England 


202  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [AD. 878 

Treaty  between  Alfred  and  On  thrum.  Kingdom  of  the  latter 

it  was  which  Guthrum  was  thus  to  hold,  he  can 
easily  identify  it  by  finding  upon  the  map  the 
following  counties,  which  now  occupy  the  same 
territory,  viz.,  Norfolk,  Suffolk,  Cambridge- 
shire, Essex,  and  part  of  Herefordshire.  The 
population  of  all  this  region  consisted  already, 
in  a  great  measure,  of  Danes.  It  was  the  part 
most  easily  accessible  from  the  German  Ocean, 
by  means  of  the  Thames  and  the  Medway,  and 
it  had,  accordingly,  become  the  chief  seat  of  the 
Northmen's  power. 

Guthrum  not  only  agreed  to  confine  himself 
to  the  limits  thus  marked  out,  but  also  to  con- 
sider himself  henceforth  as  Alfred's  friend  and 
ally  in  the  event  of  any  new  bands  of  adven- 
turers arriving  on  the  coast,  and  to  join  Alfred 
in  his  endeavors  to  resist  them.  In  hoping  that 
he  would  fulfill  this  obligation,  Alfred  did  not 
rely  altogether  on  Guthrum's  oaths  or  prom- 
ises, or  even  on  the  hostages  that  he  held.  He 
had  made  it  for  his  interest  to  fulfill  them.  By 
giving  him  peaceable  possession  of  this  terri- 
tory, after  having,  by  his  victories,  impressed 
him  with  a  very  high  idea  of  his  own  great  mil- 
itary resources  and  power,  he  had  placed  hi* 
conquered  enemy  under  very  strong  induce- 
merits  to  be  satisfied  with  what  he  now  po« 


A.D  878.]       SAXON  VICTOR v.  203 

Quthrum  faithful  to  his  covenant  Fundamental  law*  tattled. 

sessed,  and  to  make  common  cause  with  Alfred 
in  resisting  the  encroachments  of  any  new  ma- 
rauders. 

Guthrum  was  therefore  honestly  resolved  on 
keeping  his  faith  with  his  new  ally ;  and  when 
ill  these  stipulations  were  made,  and  the  treat- 
ies were  signed,  and  the  ceremonies  of  the  bap- 
tism all  performed,  Alfred  dismissed  his  guest, 
with  many  presents  and  high  honors. 

There  is  some  uncertainty  whether  Alfred 
did  not,  in  addition  to  the  other  stipulations  un- 
der which  he  bound  Guthrum,  reserve  to  him- 
self the  superior  sovereignty  over  Guthrum'a 
dominions,  in  such  a  manner  that  Guthrum, 
though  complimented  in  the  treaty  with  the 
title  of  king,  was,  after  all,  only  a  sort  of  vice 
roy,  holding  his  throne  under  Alfred  as  his  liege 
lord.     One  thing  is  certain,  that  Alfred  took 
care,  in  his  treaty  with  Guthrum,  to  settle  alJ 
the  fundamental  laws  of  both  kingdoms,  mak- 
ing them  the  same  for  both,  as  if  he  foresaw 
the  complete  and  entire  union  which  was  ulti 
mately  to  take  place,  and  wished  to  facilitate 
the  accomplishment  of  this  end  by  having  the 
political  and  social  constitution  of  the  two  state* 
brought  at  once  into  harmony  with  each  other. 

It  proved,  in  the  end,  that  Guthrum  waa 


204  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D  878 

Gnthrum's  services.  Alfred  organizes  his  government 

faithful  to  his  obligations  and  promises.  He 
settled  himself  quietly  in  the  dominions  which 
the  treaty  assigned  to  him,  and  made  no  more 
attempts  to  encroach  upon  Alfred's  realm. 
Whenever  other  parties  of  Danes  came  upon 
the  coast,  as  they  sometimes  did,  they  found  no 
favor  or  countenance  from  him.  They  came, 
in  some  cases,  expecting  his  co-operation  ai?d 
aid  ;  but  he  always  refused  it,  and  by  this  dis- 
couragement, as  well  as  by  open  resistance,  he 
drove  many  bands  away,  turning  the  tide  of 
invasion  southward  into  France,  and  other  re- 
gions on  the  Continent.  Alfred,  in  the  mear 
time,  gave  his  whole  time  and  attention  to  or- 
ganizing the  various  departments  of  his  govern- 
ment, to  planning  and  building  towns,  repair- 
ing and  fortifying  castles,  opening  roads,  estab- 
lishing courts  of  justice,  and  arranging  and  set- 
ting in  operation  the  complicated  machinery 
necessary  in  the  working  of  a  well-conducted 
social  state.  The  nature  and  operation  of  some 
of  his  plans  will  be  described  more  fully  in  the 
next  chapter. 

In  concluding  this  chapter,  we  will  add,  that 
notwithstanding  h's  victory  over  Gu thrum,  and 
Guthrum's  subsequent  good  faith,  Alfred  never 
enjoyed  an  absolute  peace,  but  during  the  whole 


A.D.878.]       SAXON  VICTORY.  205 

Continued  trouble  from  the  Dane*.  Alfred's  character 

remainder  of  his  reign  was  more  or  less  molest, 
ed  with  parties  of  Northmen,  who  came,  from 
time  to  time,  to  land  on  English  shores,  and 
who  met  sometimes  with  partial  and  temporary 
success  in  their  depredations.  The  most  se- 
rious of  these  attempts  occurred  near  the  close 
of  Alfred's  life,  and  will  be  hereafter  described. 

The  generosity  and  the  nobleness  of  mind 
which  Alfred  manifested  in  his  treatment  of 
Guthrum  made  a  great  impression  upon  man- 
kind at  the  time,  and  have  done  a  great  deal  tc 
elevate  the  character  of  our  hero  in  every  sub- 
sequent age.  All  admire  such  generosity  in 
others,  however  slow  they  may  be  to  practice  it 
themselves.  It  seems  a  very  easy  virtue  when 
we  look  upon  an  exhibition  of  it  like  this,  where 
we  feel  no  special  resentments  ourselves  against 
the  person  thus  nobly  forgiven.  We  find  it, 
tiowever,  a  very  hard  virtue  to  practice,  when 
ft  case  occurs  requiring  the  exercise  of  it  to- 
ward a  person  who  has  done  us  an  injury.  Let 
those  who  think  that  in  Alfred's  situation  they 
should  have  acted  as  he  did,  look  around  upon 
the  circle  of  their  acquaintance,  and  see  whether 
it  is  easy  for  them  to  pursue  a  similar  course 
toward  their  personal  enemies — those  who  hav« 


206  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  878. 

Alfred's  klndnaM  of  heart.  The  child  in  the  eagle's  ne*t 

thwarted  and  circumvented  them  in  their  plans, 
or  slandered  them,  or  treated  them  with  insult 
and  injury.  By  observing  how  hard  it  is  to 
change  our  own  resentments  to  feelings  of  for- 
giveness and  good  will,  we  can  the  better  ap- 
preciate Alfred's  treatment  of  Gutfcrum. 

Alfred  was  famed  during  all  his  life  for  the 
kindness  of  his  heart,  and  a  thousand  stories 
were  told  in  his  day  of  his  interpositions  to  right 
tae  wronged,  to  relieve  the  distressed,  to  com- 
fort the  afflicted,  and  to  befriend  the  unhappy. 
On  one  occasion,  as  it  is  said,  when  he  was 
hunting  in  a  wood,  he  heard  the  piteous  cries 
of  a  child,  which  seemed  to  come  from  the  air 
above  his  head.  It  was  found,  after  much  look- 
ing and  listening,  that  the  sounds  proceeded 
from  an  eagle's  nest  upon  the  top  of  a  lofty  tree. 
On  climbing  to  the  nest,  they  found  the  child 
within,  screaming  with  pain  and  terror.  The 
eagle  had  carried  it  there  in  its  talons  for  a  prey. 
Alfred  brought  down  the  boy,  and,  after  making 
^uitless  inquiries  to  find  its  father  and  mother, 
Adopted  him  for  his  own  son,  gave  him  a  good 
education,  and  provided  for  him  well  in  his  fu- 
ture life.  The  story  was  all,  very  probably,  a 
fabrication ;  but  the  characters  of  men  are  some- 
times very  strikingly  indicated  by  the  kind  of 
stories  that  are  invented  concerning  them. 


POKTRAIT  OF  AT.FRFT>. 


A  D.  880-890.]  ALFRED'S  RBIG*.  209 

A.  fred'a  humanity  uid  benevolence.  HU  lore  of  peae* 


CHAPTER  XL 
CHARACTER  OF  ALFRED'S  REIGN. 

T3ERHAPS  the  chief  aspect  in  which  King 
••-  Alfred's  character  has  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  mankind,  is  in  the  spirit  of  humanity 
and  benevolence  which  he  manifested,  and  in 
the  efforts  which  he  made  to  cultivate  the  arts 
of  peace,  and  to  promote  the  intellectual  and 
social  welfare  of  his  people,  notwithstanding 
the  warlike  hau:ts  to  which  he  was  accustomed 
in  his  early  ypars,  and  the  warlike  influences 
which  surrounded  him  during  all  his  life.  Ev 
ery  thing  in  the  outward  circumstances  in 
which  he  was  placed  tended  to  make  him  a 
mere  military  hero.  He  saw,  however,  the  su- 
perior greatness  and  glory  of  the  work  of  laying 
the  foundations  of  an  extended  and  permanent 
power,  by  a-«-anging  in  the  best  possible  man- 
ner the  internal  organization  of  the  social  state. 
He  saw  that  intelligence,  order,  justice,  and 
system,  prevailing  in  and  governing  the  institu- 
tions of  a  country,  constitute  the  true  element* 
of  its  greatness,  and  he  acted  accordingly 
24—14 


210    ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [ A. D. 880-890 

Character  of  the  materials  upon  which  Alfred  operated. 

It  ia  true,  he  had  good  materials  to  work  with. 
He  had  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  to  act  upon  at 
the  time,  a  race  capable  of  appreciating  and 
entering  into  his  plans;  and  he  has  had  the 
same  race  to  carry  them  on,  for  the  ten  centu- 
ries which  have  elapsed  since  he  laid  his  foun- 
dations. As  no  other  race  of  men  but  Anglo- 
Saxons  could  have  produced  an  Alfred,  so,  prob 
ably,  no  other  race  could  have  carried  out  such 
plans  as  Alfred  formed.  It  is  a  race  which  has 
always  been  distinguished,  like  Alfred  their 
great  prototype  and  model,  for  a  certain  cool 
and  intrepid  energy  in  war,  combined  with  and 
surpassed  by  the  industry,  the  ~t  «t°m,  the  efl£ 
oiency,  and  the  perseverance  with  which  they 
pursue  and  perfect  all  the  arts  of  peace.  They 
systematize  every  thing.  They  arrange — they 
organize.  Every  thing  in  their  hands  takes 
form,  and  advances  to  continual  improvement 
Even  while  the  rest  of  the  world  remain  inert, 
they  are  active.  When  the  arts  and  improve- 
ments of  life  are  stationary  among  other  na- 
tions, they  are  always  advancing  with  them, 
It  is  a  people  that  is  always  making  new  dis- 
coveries, pressing  forward  to  new  enterprises, 
framing  new  laws,  constituting  new  combina- 
tions and  developing  new  powers ;  until  now 


A.D.  880-890.]  ALFREDS  REIGN  211 

The  difficulties  with  which  Alfred  had  to  contend. 

after  the  lapse  of  a  thousand  years,  the  little 
island  feeds  and  clothes,  directly  or  indirectly, 
a  very  large  portion  of  the  human  race,  and  di- 
rects, in  a  great  measure,  the  politics  of  the 
world. 

Whether  Alfred  reasoned  upon  the  capaci- 
ties of  the  people  whom  he  ruled,  and  foresaw 
their  future  power,  or  whether  he  only  followed 
the  simple  impulses  of  his  own  nature  in  the 
plans  which  he  formed  and  the  measures  which 
he  adopted,  we  can  not  know ;  but  we  know 
that,  in  fact,  he  devoted  his  chief  attention,  dur- 
ing all  the  years  of  his  reign,  to  perfecting  in 
the  highest  degree  the  internal  organization  of 
his  realm,  considered  as  a  great  social  commu- 
nity. His  people  were  in  a  very  rude,  and,  in 
fact,  almost  half-savage  state  when  he  com- 
menced his  career.  He  had  every  thing  to  do, 
and  yet  he  seems  to  have  had  Ho  favorable  op- 
portunities for  doing  any  thing. 

In  the  first  place,  his  time  and  attention  were 
distracted,  during  his  whole  reign,  by  continued 
difficulties  and  contentions  with  various  horde* 
of  Danes,  even  after  his  peace  with  Guthrum 
These  troubles,  and  the  military  preparations 
and  movements  to  which  they  would  naturally 
give  rise,  would  seem  to  have  been  sufficient  to 


212    ALFRED  THE  (TREAT.  [AJX  880-890 

Alfred's  Bufferings  from  disease  His  patience 

have  occupied  fully  all  the  powers  of  his  mind, 
and  to  have  prevented  him  from  doing  any 
thing  effectual  for  the  internal  improvement  of 
his  kingdom. 

Then,  besides,  there  was  another  difficulty 
mth  which  Alfred  had  to  contend,  which  one 
might  have  supposed  would  have  paralyzed  all 
his  energies.  He  suffered  all  his  life  from  some 
mysterious  and  painful  internal  disease,  the  na- 
ture of  which,  precisely,  is  not  known,  as  the 
allusions  to  it,  though  very  frequent  through- 
out his  life,  are  very  general,  and  the  physi 
clans  of  the  day,  who  probably  were  not  very 
skillful,  could  not  determine  what  it  was,  or  d<i 
any  thing  effectual  to  relieve  it.  The  disease, 
whatever  it  may  have  been,  was  a  source  of 
continual  uneasiness,  and  sometimes  of  extreme 
and  terrible  suffering.  Alfred  bore  all  the  pain 
which  it  caused  him  with  exemplary  patience ; 
and,  though  he  could  not  always  resist  the  ten- 
denoy  to  discouragement  and  depression  with 
which  the  perpetual  presence  of  such  a  torment 
wears  upon  the  soul,  he  did  not  allow  it  to  di- 
minish his  exertions,  or  suspend,  at  any  time, 
the  ceaseless  activity  with  which  he  labored  foi 
the  welfare  of  the  people  of  his  realm. 

Alfred  attached  great  importance  to  the  eda- 


A.D.  880-«(JO.]  ALFRED'S  REIGN.  213 

Alfred's  interest  In  learning.  Aeser,  the  Welsh  bishop 

cation  of  his  people.  It  was  not  possible,  in 
those  days,  to  educate  the  mass,  for  there  were 
no  books,  and  no  means  of  producing  them  in 
sufficient  numbers  to  supply  any  general  de- 
mand. Books,  in  those  days,  were  extremely 
costly,  as  they  had  all  to  be  \vritten  laboriously 
by  hand.  The  great  mass  of  the  population, 
therefore,  who  were  engaged  in  the  daily  toil  of 
cultivating  the  land,  were  necessarily  left  in 
ignorance  ;  but  Alfred  made  every  effort  in  his 
power  to  awaken  a  love  for  learning  and  the 
arts  among  the  higher  classes.  He  set  them, 
in  fact,  an  efficient  example  in  his  own  case,  by 
Dressing  forward  diligently  in  his  own  studies, 
even  in  the  busiest  periods  of  his  reign.  The 
spirit  and  manner  in  which  he  did  this  are  well 
illustrated  by  the  plan  he  pursued  in  studying 
Latin.  It  was  this : 

He  had  a  friend  in  his  court,  a  man  of  great 
literary  attainments  and  great  piety,  whose 
name  was  Asser.  Asser  was  a  bishop  in  Wales 
when  Alfred  first  heard  of  his  fame  as  a  man 
of  learning  and  abilities,  and  Alfred  sent  foi 
him  to  come  to  his  court  and  make  him  a  visit. 
Alfred  was  very  much  pleased  with  what  he 
saw  of  Asser  at  this  interview,  and  proposed  to 
him  to  leave  his  preferments  in  Wales,  which 


214    ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D. 880-890 

Alfred's  proposal*  to  A*ser.  •  Awer'i  acceptance 

were  numerous  and  important,  and  come  into 
his  kingdom,  and  he  would  give  him  greater 
preferments  there.  Asser  hesitated.  Alfred 
then  proposed  to  him  to  spend  six  months  every 
year  in  England,  and  the  remaining  six  in 
Wales.  Asser  said  that  he  could  not  give  an 
answer  even  to  this  proposal  till  he  had  return- 
ed home  and  consulted  with  the  monks  and 
other  clergy  under  his  charge  there.  He  would, 
however,  he  said,  at  least  come  back  and  see 
Alfred  again  within  the  next  six  months,  and 
give  him  his  final  answer.  Then,  after  having 
spent  four  days  in  Alfred's  court,  he  went  away. 
The  six  months  passed  away  and  he  did  not 
return.  Alfred  sent  a  messenger  into  Wales 
to  ascertain  the  reason.  The  messenger  founc 
that  Asser  was  sick.  His  friends,  however,  had 
advised  that  he  should  accede  to  Alfred's  pro- 
posal to  spend  six  months  of  the  year  in  En- 
gland, as  they  thought  that  by  that  means, 
through  his  influence  with  Alfred,  he  would  be 
the  better  able  to  protect  and  advance  the  in- 
terests of  their  monasteries  and  establishment* 
in  Wales.  So  Asser  went  to  England,  and  be- 
came during  six  months  in  the  year  Alfred's 
constant  friend  and  teacher.  In  the  course  of 
time,  Alfred  placed  him  at  the  head  of  some  of 


A.D.  880-890.J  ALFRED'S  REIGN.          215 


Alfred  and  Asser.  Alfred  •  Latin  book. 


the  most  important  establishments  and  ecclesi- 
astical charges  in  England. 

One  day — it  was  eight  or  nine  years  after 
Alfred's  victory  over  Guthrum  and  settlement 
of  the  kingdom — the  king  and  Asser  were  en- 
gaged in  conversation  in  the  royal  apartments, 
and  Asser  quoted  some  Latin  phrase  with  which, 
on  its  being  explained,  Alfred  was  very  much 
pleased,  and  he  asked  Asser  to  write  it  down 
for  him  in  his  book.  So  saying,  he  took  f  ,i 
his  pocket  a  little  book  of  prayers  and  o.,nor 
pieces  of  devotion,  which  he  was  accustomed  to 
carry  with  him  for  daily  use.  It  was,  of  course, 
in  manuscript.  Asser  looked  over  it  to  find  a 
apace  where  he  could  write  the  Latin  quotation, 
»ut  there  was  no  convenient  vacancy.  He  then 
proposed  to  Alfred  that  he  should  make  for  him 
another  small  book,  expressly  for  Latin  quota- 
*ions,  with  explanations  of  their  meaning,  if 
Alfred  chose  to  make  them,  in  the  Anglo-Saxon 
tongue.  Alfred  highly  approved  of  this  sugges- 
tion. The  bishop  prepared  the  little  parchment 
volume,  and  it  became  gradually  filled  with 
passages  of  Scripture,  in  Latin,  and  striking 
sentiments,  briefly  and  tersely  expressed,  ex- 
tracted from  the  writings  of  the  Roman  poeta 
w  of  the  fathers  of  the  Church.  Alfred  wrote 


216    ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  I  A.B.  880-^90 

Alfred  becomes  an  author.  Printing  and  circulation  oi  book* 

opposite  to  each  quotation  its  meaning,  express- 
ed in  his  own  language ;  and  as  he  made  the 
book  his  constant  companion,  and  studied  it 
continually,  taking  great  interest  in  adding  to 
its  stores,  it  was  the  means  of  communicating 
to  him  soon  a  very  considerable  knowledge  of 
the  language,  and  was  the  foundation  of  that 
extensive  acquaintance  with  it  which  he  subse- 
quently acquired. 

Alfred  made  great  efforts  to  promote  in  every 
way  the  intellectual  progress  and  improvement 
of  his  people.  He  wrote  and  translated  books, 
which  were  published  so  far  as  it  was  possible 
to  publish  books  in  those  days,  that  is,  by  hav- 
ing a  moderate  number  of  copies  transcribed 
and  circulated  among  those  who  could  read 
them.  Such  copies  were  generally  deposited  at 
monasteries,  and  abbeys,  and  other  such  places, 
where  learned  meii  were  accustomed  to  assem 
ble.  These  writings  of  Alfred  exerted  a  wide 
influence  during  his  day.  They  remained  in 
manuscript  until  the  art  of  printing  was  invent- 
ed,  when  many  of  them  were  printed ;  others 
remain  in  manuscript  in  the  various  museums 
of  England,  where  visitors  look  at  them  as  cu- 
riosities,  all  worn  and  corroded  as  they  are,  and 
almost  illegible  by  time.  These  books,  though 


A.D.  880-890.]  ALFRED'S  REION.  217 

.nflnence  of  Alfred's  writings.        Founding  of  the  University  of  Oxford 

they  exerted  great  influence  at  the  time  wnen 
they  were  written,  are  of  little  interest  or  value 
oow.  They  express  ideas  in  morals  ami  philos- 
ophy, some  of  which  have  become  so  universal- 
y  diffused  as  to  be  commonplace  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  while  others  would  now  be  discarded, 
as  not  in  harmony  with  the  ideas  or  the  philos- 
ophy of  the  times. 

One  of  the  greatest  and  most  important  of 
the  measures  which  Alfred  adopted  for  the  in 
tellectual  improvement  of  his  people  was  the 
founding  of  the  great  University  of  Oxford. 
Oxford  was  Alfred's  residence  and  capital  dur- 
ing a  considerable  part  of  his  reign.  It  is  situ- 
ated on  the  Thames,  in  the  bosom  of  a  delight- 
ful valley,  where  it  calmly  reposes  in  the  midst 
of  fields  and  meadows  as  verdant  and  beautiful 
as  the  imagination  can  conceive.  There  was  a 
monastery  at  Oxford  before  Alfred's  day,  and 
for  many  centuries  after  his  time  acts  of  endow- 
ment were  passed  and  charters  granted,  some 
of  which  were  perhaps  of  greater  importance 
than  those  which  emanated  from  Alfred  him- 
self. Thus  some  carry  back  the  history  of 
this  famous  university  beyond  Alfred's  time; 
others  consider  that  the  true  origin  of  the  pres- 
ent establishment  should  be  assigned  to  a  latei 


218    ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  880-890 

Situation  of  Oxford.  Measure!  of  Alfred 

date  than  his  day.  Alfred  certainly  adopted 
very  important  measures  at  Oxford  for  organ- 
izing  and  establishing  schools  of  instruction  and 
assembling  learned  men  there  from  various 
parts  of  the  world,  so  that  he  soon  made  it  a 
great  center  and  seat  of  learning,  and  mankind 
have  been  consequently  inclined  to  award  to 
him  the  honor  of  having  laid  the  .foundations  of 
the  vast  superstructure  which  has  since  grown 
up  on  that  consecrated  spot.  Oxford  is  now  a 
city  of  ancient  and  venerable  colleges.  Its  si- 
lent streets ;  its  grand  quadrangles  ;  its  church- 
es, and  chapels,  and  libraries ;  its  secluded 
walks ;  its  magnificent,  though  old  and  crum- 
bling architecture,  make  it,  even  to  the  pass- 
ing traveler,  one  of  the  wonders  of  England ; 
and  by  the  influence  which  it  has  exerted  for 
the  past  ten  centuries  on  the  intellectual  ad- 
vancement of  the  human  race,  it  is  really  one 
of  the  wonders  of  the  world. 

Alfred  repaired  the  castles  which  had  become 
dilapidated  in  the  wars ;  he  rebuilt  the  ruined 
cities,  organized  municipal  governments  for 
them,  restored  the  monasteries,  and  took  great 
pains  to  place  men  of  learning  and  piety  in 
charge  of  them.  He  revised  the  laws  of  the 
kingdom,  and  arranged  and  syatematirod  them 


A. D.  880-890.]  ALFRED'S  REIGN.  219 

Mfred'«  personal  character.  Reform*  and  improvement*. 

in  the  most  perfect  manner  which  was  possible 
in  times  so  rude 

Alfred's  personal  character  gave  him  great 
influence  among  his  people,  and  disposed  them 
to  acquiesce  readily  in  the  vast  innovations  and 
improvements  which  he  introduced — changes 
which  were  so  radical  and  affected  so  extensive- 
ly the  whole  structure  of  society,  and  all  the 
customs  of  social  life,  that  any  ordinary  sover- 
eign would  have  met  with  great  opposition  in 
his  attempt  to  introduce  them ;  but  Alfred  pos- 
sessed such  a  character,  and  proceeded  in  such 
a  way  in  introducing  his  improvements  and  re- 
forms, that  he  seems  to  have  awakened  no  jeal 
ousy  and  to  have  aroused  no  resistance. 

He  was  of  a  very  calm,  quiet,  and  placid 
temper  of  mind.  The  crosses  and  vexations 
which  disturb  and  irritate  ordinary  men  seemed 
never  to  disturb  his  equanimity.  He  was  pa- 
tient and  forbearing,  never  expecting  too  much 
of  those  whom  he  employed,  or  resenting  angri- 
»y  the  occasional  neglects  or  failures  in  duty  on 
their  part,  which  he  well  knew  must  frequently 
occur.  He  was  never  elated  by  prosperity,  nor 
made  moody  and  Tiorose  by  the  turning  of  the 
tide  against  him.  In  a  word,  he  was  a  philos- 
ooher,  of  a  calm,  and  quiet,  and  happy  temper- 


220    ALFREI   THE  GREAT.  [AD. e«0-890 

Alfred's  equanimity.  His  high  and  noble  alms 

amont.  He  knew  well  that  every  man  in  going 
through  life,  whatever  his  rank  and  station, 
must  encounter  the  usual  alternations  of  sun- 
shine  and  storm.  He  determined  that  these 
alternations  should  not  mar  his  happiness,  nor 
disturb  the  repose  of  his  soul ;  that  he  would, 
on  the  other  hand,  keeping  all  quiet  within, 
press  calmly  and  steadily  forward  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  vast  objects  to  which  he 
felt  that  his  life  was  to  be  given.  He  was,  ac- 
cordingly, never  anxious  or  restless,  never  im- 
patient or  fretful,  never  excited  or  wild;  but 
always  calm,  considerate,  steady,  and  persever- 
.ng,  he  infused  his  own  spirit  into  all  around 
him.  They  saw  him  governed  by  fixed  and  per- 
manent principles  of  justice  and  of  duty  in  all 
that  he  planned,  and  in  every  measure  that  he 
resorted  to  in  the  execution  of  his  plans.  It 
was  plain  that  his  great  ruling  motive  was  a 
true  and  honest  desire  to  promote  the  welfare 
and  prosperity  of  his  people,  and  the  internal 
peace,  and  order,  and  happiness  of  his  realm*, 
without  any  selfish  or  sinister  aims  of  his  own. 
In  fact;  it  seemed  as  if  there  were  no  selfish 
or  sinister  ends  that  possessed  any  charms  for 
Alfred's  mind.  He  had  no  fondness  or  taste 
for  luxury  or  pleasure,  or  for  aggrandizing  him 


A.D.  880-890.]  ALFRED'S  REIGN.  221 

Alfred's  solicitude  for  his  country.  His  diligences 

self  in  the  eyes  of  others  by  pomp  and  parade. 
It  is  true  that,  as  was  stated  in  a  former  chap- 
ter,  he  was  charged  in  early  life  with  a  tenden- 
cy to  some  kinds  of  wrong  indulgence ;  but 
these  charges,  obscure  and  doubtful  as  they 
were,  pertained  only  to  the  earliest  periods  of 
his  career,  before  the  time  of  his  seclusion, 
Through  all  the  middle  and  latter  portions  of 
his  life,  the  sole  motive  of  his  conduct  seems  to 
have  been  a  desire  to  lay  broad,  and  deep,  and 
lasting  foundations  for  the  permanent  welfare 
and  prosperity  of  his  realm. 

It  resulted  from  the  nature  of  the  measures 
which  Alfred  undertook  to  effect,  that  they 
brought  upon  him  daily  a  vast  amount  of  labor 
as  such  measures  always  involve  a  great  dea. 
of  minute  detail.  Alfred  could  only  accomplish 
this  great  mass  of  duty  by  means  of  the  most 
unremitting  industry  and  the  most  systematic 
and  exact  division  of  time.  There  were  no 
clocks  or  watches  in  those  days,  and  yet  it  was 
very  necessary  to  have  some  plan  for  keeping 
the  time,  in  order  that  his  business  might  go  on 
regulaily,  and  also  that  the  movements  and  op- 
erations of  his  large  household  might  proceed 
without  confusion.  Alfred  invented  a  plan.  It 
was  aa  follows  • 


222    ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  880-^90 

Plan  for  dividing  time.  The  wax  candles. 

He  observed  that  the  wax  candles  which  were 
used  in  his  palace  and  in  the  churches  burned 
?ery  regularly,  and  with  greater  or  less  rapidity 
•ocording  to  their  size.  He  ordered  some  ex- 
periments to  be  made,  and  finally,  by  means  of 
them,  he  determined  on  the  size  of  a  candle 
which  should  burn  three  inches  in  an  hour.  It 
is  said  that  the  weight  of  wax  which  he  used 
for  each  candle  was  twelve  pennyweights,  that 
is,  but  little  more  than  half  an  ounce,  which 
would  make,  one  would  suppose,  a  taper  rather 
than  a  candle.  There  is,  however,  great  doubt 
about  the  value  of  the  various  denominations  of 
weight  and  measure,  and  also  of  money  used  in 
those  days.  However  this  may  be,  the  candles 
were  each  a  foot  long,  and  of  such  size  that  each 
would  burn  four  hours.  They  were  divided  into 
inches,  and  marked,  so  that  each  inch  corre- 
sponded with  a  third  of  an  hour,  or  twenty  min- 
utes. A  large  quantity  of  these  candles  were 
prepared,  and  a  person  in  one  of  the  chapels  was 
appointed  to  keep  a  succession  of  them  burning, 
and  to  ring  the  bells,  or  give  the  other  signals, 
whatever  they  might  be,  by  which  the  house- 
hold was  regulated,  at  the  successive  periods 
of  time  denoted  by  their  burning. 

As  each  of  these  candles  was  one  foot  long, 


A.D.  880-890.]  ALFRED'S  REION.  223 

Working  of  the  •jutem.  Introduction  of  gtaM. 

and  burned  three  inches  in  an  hour,  it  follows 
that  it  would  last  four  hours ;  when  this  time 
was  expired,  the  attendant  who  had  the  appa- 
ratus in  charge  lighted  another.  There  were, 
3f  course,  six  required  for  the  whole  twenty- 
four  hours.  The  system  worked  very  well, 
though  there  was  one  difficulty  that  occasioned 
aome  trouble  in  the  outset,  which,  however,  was 
not  much  to  be  regretted  after  all,  since  the 
remedying  of  it  awakened  the  royal  ingenuity 
anew,  and  led,  in  the  end,  to  adding  to  Alfred'? 
other  glories  the  honor  of  being  the  inventor  of 
lanterns  ! 

The  difficulty  was,  that  the  wind,  which 
came  in  very  freely  in  those  days,  even  in  royal 
residences,  through  the  open  windows,  blew  the 
flames  of  these  horological  candles  about,  so  as 
to  interfere  quite  seriously  with  the  regularity 
of  their  buining.  There  was  no  glass  for  win- 
dows in  those  days,  or,  at  least,  very  little.  It 
had  been  introduced,  it  is  said,  in  one  instance, 
and  that  was  in  a  monastery  in  the  north  of 
England.  The  abbot,  whose  name  was  Bene- 
dict, brought  over  some  workmen  from  the  Con 
tinent,  where  the  art  of  making  glass  windows 
had  been  invented,  and  caused  them  to  glaze 
some  windows  in  his  monastery.  It  was  many 


224    ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D  880-890 

•nciect  windows.  Invention  of  lantern* 

years  after  this  before  glass  came  into  genera, 
use  oven  in  churches,  and  palaces,  and  othei 
oostly  buildings  of  that  kind.  In  the  mean 
time,  windows  were  mere  openings  in  stone 
walls,  which  could  be  closed  only  by  shutters ; 
and  inasmuch  as  when  closed  they  excluded 
the  light  as  well  as  the  air,  they  could  ordina- 
rily be  shut  only  ^n  one  side  of  the  apartment 
at  a  time — the  side  most  exposed  to  the  winds 
and  storms. 

Alfred  accordingly  found  that  the  flame  oi 
his  candles  was  blown  by  the  wind,  which  made 
the  wax  burn  irregularly  ;  and,  to  remedy  the 
evil,  he  contrived  the  plan  of  protecting  them 
oy  thin  plates  of  horn.  Horn,  when  softened  by 
hot  water,  can  easily  be  cut  and  fashioned  into 
any  shape,  and,  when  very  thin,  is  almost  trans- 
parent. Alfred  had  these  thin  plates  of  horn 
prepared,  and  set  into  the  sides  of  a  box  made 
open  to  receive  them,  thus  forming  a  rude  sort 
of  lantern,  within  which  the  time-keeping  can- 
dles could  burn  in  peace.  Mankind  have  con- 
sequently given  to  King  Alfred  the  credit  of 
having  invented  lanterns. 

Having  thus  completed  his  apparatus  for  the 
correct  measurement  of  time,  Alfred  was  en 
abled  to  be  more  and  more  systematic  in  tha 


A.D.  880-890.J  ALFRED'S  REIGN.  ^25 

ilfred'e  diriiion  of  his  time.  Ite  wisdom. 

division  and  employment  of  it.  One  of  the  his-, 
torians  of  the  day  relates  that  his  plan  was  to 
give  one  third  of  the  twenty-four  hours  to  sleep 
and  refreshment,  one  third  to  business,  and  the 
remaining  third  to  the  duties  of  religion.  Under 
this  last  head  was  probably  included  all  those 
duties  and  pursuits  which,  by  the  customs  of 
the  day,  were  considered  as  pertaining  to  the 
Church,  such  as  study,  writing,  and  the  con- 
sideration and  management  of  ecclesiastical 
affairs.  These  duties  were  performed,  in  those 
days,  almost  always  by  clerical  men,  and  in  the 
retirement  and  seclusion  of  monasteries,  ana 
were  thus  regarded  as  in  some  sense  religious 
duties.  We  must  conclude  that  Alfred  classed 
them  thus,  as  he  was  a  great  student  and  writer 
all  his  days,  and  there  is  no  other  place  than 
Jris  third  head  to  which  the  duties  of  this  nature 
can  be  assigned.  Thus  understood,  it  was  a 
very  wise  and  sensible  division ;  though  eight 
hours  daily  for  any  long  period  of  time,  appro- 
priated to  services  strictly  devotional,  would 
not  seem  to  be  a  wise  arrangement,  especially 
for  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  in  a  position 
demanding  the  constant  exercise  of  Lis  powers 
in  the  discharge  of  active  duties. 

Thus  the  years  of  Alfred's  life  passed  aw&y, 

24—15 


226    ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [AD.880-890 

Alfred'*  prosperity.  Troubles  from  the  Dana* 

his  kingdom  advancing  steadily  all  the  time  in 
good  government,  wealth,  and  prosperity.  The 
country  was  not,  however,  yet  freed  entirely 
from  the  calamities  and  troubles  arising  from 
the  hostility  of  the  Danes.  Disorders  con- 
tinually broke  out  among  those  who  had  settled 
in  the  land,  and,  in  some  instances,  new  hordes 
of  invaders  came  in.  These  were,  however,  in 
most  instances,  easily  subdued,  and  Alfred  went 
on  with  comparatively  little  interruption  for 
many  years,  in  prosecuting  the  arts  and  im- 
provements of  peace.  At  last,  however,  toward 
the  close  of  his  life,  a  famous  Northman  leader, 
named  Hastings,  landed  hi  England  at  the  head 
of  a  large  force,  and  made,  before  he  was  ex- 
pelled, a  great  deal  of  trouble.  An  account  of 
this  invasion  will  be  given  in  the  next  chapter. 


1J).  893.]  THE  CLOSE  OF  LIFE.  22? 

•radon  of  Halting*.  HU  exploits  on  tha  OnatJMH 


CHAPTER    XIL 
THE  CLOSE   OF   LIFB 

FT  was  twelve  or  fifteen  years  after  Alfred's 
•*-  restoration  to  his  kingdom,  by  means  of  the 
victory  at  Edendune,  that  the  great  invasion 
of  Hastings  occurred.  That  victory  took  place 
in  the  year  878.  It  was  in  the  years  893-897 
that  Hastings  and  his  horde  of  followers  infested 
the  island,  and  in  900  Alfred  died,  so  that  his 
reign  ended,  as  it  had  commenced,  with  pro- 
tracted  and  desperate  conflicts  with  the  Danes. 
Hastings  was  an  old  and  successful  soldier 
before  he  came  to  England.  He  had  led  a  wild 
life  for  many  years  as  a  sea  king  on  the  Ger- 
man Ocean,  performing  deeds  which  in  our  day 
entail  upon  the  perpetrator  of  them  the  infamy 
of  piracy  and  murder,  but  which  then  entitled 
the  hero  of  them  to  a  very  wide-spread  and  hon- 
orable fame.  Afterward  Hastings  landed  upon 
the  Continent,  and  pursued,  for  a  long  time,  a 
glorious  career  of  victory  and  plunder  in  France, 
[n  these  enterprises,  the  tide,  indeed,  sometimes 
turned  against  him.  On  one  occasion,  for  in* 


228  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  89« 

Hastings  besieged  in  a  church.  The  place  of  landing 

stance,  he  found  himself  obliged  to  give  way 
before  his  enemies,  and  he  retreated  to  a  church, 
which  1  e  seized  and  fortified,  making  it  his  cas- 
tle until  a  more  favorable  aspect  of  his  affairs 
enabled  him  to  issue  forth  from  this  retreat  and 
take  the  field  again.  Still  he  was  generally 
very  successful  in  his  enterprises ;  his  terrible 
ferocity,  and  that  of  his  savage  followers,  were 
dreaded  in  every  part  of  the  civilized  world. 

Hastings  had  made  one  previous  invasion  of 
England;  but  Guthrum,  faithful  to  his  cove- 
nants with  Alfred,  repulsed  him.  But  Guth- 
rum was  now  dead,  and  Alfred  had  to  contend 
against  his  formidable  enemy  alone. 

Hastings  selected  a  point  on  the  southern 
coast  of  England  for  his  landing.  Guthrum's 
Danes  still  continued  to  occupy  the  eastern  part 
of  England,  and  Hastings  went  round  on  the 
southern  coast  until  he  got  beyond  their  bound- 
aries, as  if  he  wished  to  avoid  doing  any  t^'nfi 
directly  to  awaken  their  hostility.  Guthrum 
himself,  while  he  lived,  had  evinced  a  determi- 
nation to  oppose  Hastings's  plans  of  invasion 
Hastings  did  not  know,  now  that  Guthrum 
was  dead,  whether  his  successors  would  oppose 
him  or  not.  He  determined,  at  all  events,  to 
reroect  their  territory,  and  so  he  passed  along 


A.D.  693.]  THE  CLOSE  OF  LIFE.  231 

Force*  of  the  Dane*.  Romney  Martha* 

on  the  southern  shore  of  England  till  he  was 
beyond  their  limits,  and  then  prepared  to  land. 

He  had  assembled  a  large  force  of  his  own, 
and  he  was  joined,  in  addition  to  them,  by  many 
adventurers  who  came  out  to  attach  themselves 
to  his  expedition  from  the  bays,  and  islands,  and 
harbors  which  he  passed  on  his  way  His  fleet 
amounted  at  least  to  two  hundred  and  fifty 
vessels.  They  arrived,  at  length,  at  a  part  of 
the  coast  where  there  extends  a  vast  tract  of 
low  and  swampy  land,  which  was  then  a  wild 
and  dismal  morass.  This  tract,  which  is  known 
in  modern  times  by  the  name  of  the  Romney 
Marshes,  is  of  enormous  extent,  containing,  as 
it  does,  fifty  thousand  acres.  It  is  now  re- 
claimed, and  is  defended  by  a  broad  and  well- 
constructed  dike  from  the  inroads  of  the  sea. 
In  Hastings's  time  it  was  a  vast  waste  of  bogs 
and  mire,  utterly  impassable  except  by  means 
of  a  river,  which,  meandering  sluggishly  through 
the  tangled  wilderness  of  weeds  and  bushes  in 
a  deep,  black  stream,  found  an  outlet  at  last  into 
the  sea. 

Hastings  took  his  vessels  into  this  river,  and, 
following  its  turnings  for  some  miles,  he  con- 
ducted them  at  last  to  a  place  where  he  found 
more  solid  ground  to  land  upon.  But  this 


232  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  ^A.D. 

Landing  of  Hastings.  Alfred  marches  to  attack  him 

ground,  though  solid,  was  almost  as  wild  and 
solitary  as  the  morass.  It  was  a  forest  of  vast 
extent,  which  showed  no  signs  of  human  occu- 
pancy, except  that  the  peasants  who  lived  in 
the  surrounding  regions  had  come  down  to  the 
lowest  point  accessible,  and  were  building  a  rude 
fortification  there.  Hastings  attacked  them 
and  drove  them  away.  Then,  advancing  a  lit- 
tle further,  until  he  found  an  advantageous  po- 
sition, he  built  a  strong  fortress  himself  and  es- 
tablished his  army  within  its  lines. 

His  next  measure  was  to  land  another  force 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  and  bring  them 
j  to  the  country,  until  he  found  a  strong  posi- 
tion where  he  could  intrench  and  fortify  the 
second  division  as  he  had  done  the  first.  These 
two  positions  were  but  a  short  distance  from 
each  other.  He  made  them  the  combined  cen- 
ter of  his  operations,  going  from  them  in  all  di- 
rections in  plundering  excursions.  Alfred  soon 
raised  an  army  and  advanced  to  attack  him; 
and  these  operations  were  the  commencement 
of  a  long  and  tedious  war. 

A  detailed  description  of  the  events  of  this 
war,  the  marches  and  countermarches,  the  ba.t- 
ties  and  sieges,  the  various  success,  first  of  one 
oartv  and  then  of  the  other,  given  historically 


A.D.893.]  THE  CLOSE  OF  LIFE.  233 

Cautious  policy  of  Alfred.  Negotiation*. 

in  the  order  of  time,  would  be  as  tedious  to 
read  as  the  war  itself  was  to  endure.  Alfred 
was  very  cautious  in  all  his  operations,  prefer- 
ring rather  to  trust  to  the  plan  of  wearing  out 
the  enemy  by  cutting  off  their  resources  and 
hemming  them  constantly  in,  than  to  incur  the 
risk  of  great  decisive  battles.  In  fact,  watch- 
fulness, caution,  and  delay  are  generally  the 
policy  of  the  invaded  when  a  powerful  force  has 
succeeded  in  establishing  itself  among  them ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  hope  of  invader i 
lies  ordinarily  in  prompt  and  decided  action. 
Alfred  was  well  aware  of  this,  and  made  all  his 
arrangements  with  a  view  to  cutting  off  Hast- 
ings's  supplies,  shutting  him  up  into  as  narrow 
a  compass  as  possible,  heading  him  off  in  all 
nis  predatory  excursions,  intercepting  all  de- 
tachments, and  thus  reducing  him  at  length  to 
the  necessity  of  surrender. 

At  one  time,  soon  after  the  war  began,  Hast- 
ings, true  to  the  character  of  his  nation  for 
treachery  and  stratagem,  pretended  that  he  wa* 
ready  to  surrender,  and  opened  a  negotiation 
for  this  purpose.  He  agreed  to  leave  the  king- 
dom if  Alfred  would  allow  him  to  depart  peace- 
ably, and  also,  which  was  a  point  of  great  im- 
portance in  Alfred's  estimation,  to  ha  re  his  two 


234  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.893 


Treachery.  Capture  of  Hastingi'i  wife  and  coildren 

sons  baptized.  While,  however,  these  negotia- 
tions were  going  on  between  the  two  camps, 
Alfred  suddenly  found  that  the  main  body  of 
Hastings's  army  had  stolen  away  in  the  rear, 
and  were  marching  off  by  stealth  to  another 
part  of  the  country.  The  negotiations  were,  of 
course,  immediately  abandoned,  and  Alfred  set 
off  with  all  his  forces  in  full  pursuit.  All  hopes 
of  peace  were  given  up,  and  the  usual  series  of 
sieges,  maneuverings,  battles,  and  retreats  was 
resumed  again. 

On  one  occasion  Alfred  succeeded  in  taking 
possession  of  Hastings's  camp,  when  he  had  left 
it  in  security,  as  he  supposed,  to  go  off  for  a 
time  by  sea  on  an  expedition.  Alfred's  soldiers 
found  Hastings's  wife  and  children  in  the  camp, 
and  took  them  prisoners.  They  sent  the  terri- 
fied captives  to  Alfred,  to  suffer,  as  they  sup- 
posed, the  long  and  cruel  confinement  or  the 
violent  death  to  which  the  usages  of  those  days 
consigned  such  unhappy  prisoners.  Alfred  bap- 
tized the  children,  and  then  sent  them,  with 
their  mother,  loaded  with  presents  and  proofs 
of  kindness,  back  to  Hastings  again. 

This  generosity  made  no  impression  upon 
the  heart  of  Hastings,  or,  at  least,  it  produced 
ao  effect  upon  his  conduct.  He  continued  the 


A.D  893.]  THE  CLOSE  OF  LIFE.  235 

Succesues  of  Hastings.  A  torn  of  fortune. 

war  as  energetically  as  ever.  Months  passed 
away  and  new  re-enforcements  arrived,  until  at 
length  he  felt  strong  enough  to  undertake  an 
excursion  into  the  very  heart  of  the  country. 
He  moved  on  for  a  time  with  triumphant  suc- 
cess ;  but  this  very  success  was  soon  the  means 
of  turning  the  current  against  him  again.  It 
aroused  the  whole  country  through  which  he 
was  passing.  The  inhabitants  flocked  to  arms. 
They  assembled  at  every  rallying  point,  and, 
drawing  up  on  all  sides  nearer  and  nearer  tc 
Hastings's  army,  they  finally  stopped  his  march, 
and  forced  him  to  call  all  his  forces  in,  and  in- 
trench  himself  in  the  first  place  of  retreat  that 
he  could  find.  Thus  his  very  success  was  the 
means  of  turning  his  good  fortune  into  disaster. 
And  then,  in  the  same  way,  the  success  of 
Alfred  and  the  Saxons  soon  brought  disaster 
upon  them  too,  in  their  turn ;  for,  after  suc- 
ceeding in  shutting  Hastings  closely  in,  and 
cutting  off  his  supplies  of  food,  they  maintained 
their  watch  and  ward  over  their  imprisoned  en- 
emies so  closely  as  to  reduce  them  to  extreme 
distress — a  distress  and  suffering  which  they 
thought  would  end  in  their  complete  and  abso- 
tute  submission.  Instead  of  ending  thus,  how- 
ever, it  aroused  them  to  desperation.  Under 


•436  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  89tt 

Desperate  sally  of  the  Danes.  They  sail  up  the  Tbwnek 


the  influence  of  the  phrensy  which  such  hope- 
less  sufferings  produce  in  characters  like  theirs, 
they  burst  out  one  day  from  the  place  of  their 
confinement,  and,  after  a  terrible  conflict,  which 
choked  up  a  river  which  they  had  to  pass  with 
dead  bodies  and  dyed  its  waters  with  blood,  the 
great  body  of  the  starving  desperadoes  made 
their  escape,  and,  in  a  wild  and  furious  excite- 
ment, half  a  triumph  and  half  a  retreat,  they 
went  back  to  the  eastern  coast  of  the  island, 
where  they  found  secure  places  of  refuge  to  re- 
ceive them. 

In  the  course  of  the  subsequent  campaigns, 
a  party  of  the  Danes  came  up  the  River  Thame> 
with  a  fleet  of  their  vessels,  and  an  account  is 
given  by  some  of  the  ancient  historians  of  a 
measure  which  Alfred  resorted  to  to  entrap 
them,  which  would  seem  to  be  scarcely  credible. 
The  account  is,  that  he  altered  the  course  of 
the  river  by  digging  new  channels  for  it,  so  as 
to  leave  the  vessels  all  aground,  when,  of  course, 
they  became  helpless,  and  fell  an  easy  prey  tc 
the  attacks  o£  their  enemies.  This  is,  at  least, 
a  very  improbable  statement,  for  a  river  like  the 
Thames  occupies  always  the  lowest  channel  of 
the  land  through  which  it  passes  to  the  sea 
Besides,  such  a  river,  in  order  that  it  should  be 


A..D.  896.]  THE   CLOSE  OF   LIFE. 

Story  of  the  diversion  of  the  Thames.  The  Danes  loae  ground 

possible  for  vessels  to  ascend  it  from  the  ocean, 
must  have  the  surface  of  its  water  very  near 
(he  level  of  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  There 
*n,  tnerefore,  be  no  place  tc  which  such  waters 
oould  be  drawn  off,  unless  into  a  valley  below 
the  leveJ  of  the  sea.  All  such  valleys,  when- 
ever they  exist  in  the  interior  of  a  country, 
necessarily  get  filled  with  water  from  brooks 
and  rains,  and  so  become  lakes  or  inland  seas 
It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  it  was  some  other 
operation  which  Alfred  performed  to  imprison 
the  hostile  vessels  in  the  river,  more  possible  hi 
its  own  nature  than  the  drawing  off  of  the  wa- 
••ers  of  the  Thames  from  their  ancient  bed. 

Year  after  year  passed  on,  and,  though  neithei 
the  Saxons  nor  the  Danes  gained  any  very  per- 
manent and  decisive  victories,  the  invaders  were 
gradually  losing  ground,  being  driven  from  one 
intrenchment  and  one  stronghold  to  another, 
until,  at  last,  their  only  places  of  refuge  were 
their  ships,  and  the  harbors  along  the  margin 
of  the  sea.  Alfred  followed  on  and  occupied  the 
country  as  fast  as  the  enemy  was  driven  away  ; 
and  when,  at  last,  they  began  to  seek  refuge  in 
t.ieir  ships,  he  advanced  to  the  shore,  and  began 
to  form  plans  for  building  ships,  and  manning 
and  equipping  a  fleet,  to  pursue  his  reti'infr  ^n- 


238  ALFREJ    THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  896 

Alfred  builds  a  fleet.  It  sails  for  the  Isle  of  Wight 

emies  upon  their  own  element.  In  this  under- 
taking, he  proceeded  in  the  same  calm,  deliber- 
ate, and  effectual  manner,  as  in  all  his  preceding 
measures.  He  built  his  vessels  with  great  care, 
He  made  them  twice  as  long  as  those  of  the 
Danes,  and  planned  them  so  as  to  make  them 
more  steady,  more  safe,  and  capable  of  carrying 
a  crew  of  rowers  so  numerous  as  to  be  more 
active  and  swift  than  the  vessels  of  the  enemy. 

When  these  naval  preparations  were  made, 
Alfred  began  to  look  out  for  an  object  of  attack 
on  which  he  could  put  their  efficiency  to  the 
test.  He  soon  heard  of  a  fleet  of  the  North- 
men's vessels  on  the  coast  of  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
and  he  sent  a  fleet  of  his  own  ships  to  attack 
them.  He  charged  the  commander  of  this  fleet 
to  be  sparing  of  life,  but  to  capture  the  ships  and 
take  the  men,  bringing  as  many  as  possible  to 
him  unharmed. 

There  were  nine  of  the  English  vessels,  and 
when  they  reached  the  Isle  of  Wight  they 
found  six  vessels  of  the  Danes  in  a  harbor  there 
Three  of  these  Danish  vessels  were  afloat,  and 
oame  out  boldly  to  attack  Alfred's  armament. 
The  cither  three  were  upon  the  shore,  where 
they  had  been  left  by  the  tide,  and  were,  of 
course,  disabled  and  defenseless  until  the  watei 


A.D.  896.]  THE  CLOSE  OF  LIFE.  239 

M»T8l  battle.  Discomfiture  of  the  Saxon* 

should  Tise  and  float  them  again.  Under  these 
circumstances,  it  would  seem  that  the  victory 
for  Alfred's  fleet  would  have  been  easy  and  sure ; 
and  at  first  the  result  was,  in  fact,  in  Alfred's 
favor.  Of  the  three  ships  that  came  out  to 
meet  him,  two  were  captured,  and  one  escaped, 
with  only  five  men  left  on  board  of  it  alive. 
The  Saxon  ships,  after  thus  disposing  of  the 
three  living  and  moving  enemies,  pushed  boldly 
into  the  harbor  to  attack  those  which  were  lying 
lifeless  on  the  sands.  They  found,  however, 
that,  though  successful  in  the  encounter  with 
the  active  and  the  powerful,  they  were  destined 
to  disaster  and  defeat  in  approaching  the  de- 
fenceless and  weak.  They  got  aground  them- 
lelves  in  approaching  the  shoals  on  which  the 
vessels  of  their  enemies  were  lying.  The  tide 
receded  and  left  three  of  the  vessels  on  the  sands, 
and  kept  the  rest  so  separated  and  so  embar- 
rassed by  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  their 
situation  as  to  expose  the  whole  force  to  the 
most  imminent  danger.  There  was  a  fierce 
contest  in  boats  and  on  the  shore.  Both  parties 
suffered  very  severely ;  and,  finally,  the  Danes, 
getting  first  released,  made  their  escape  and 
put  to  sea. 

Notwithstanding   this   partial    discomfiture, 


240  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  897 

Hastings  expelled.  Alfred  devote*  himself  to  peaceful  avocation* 

Alfred  soon  succeeded  in  driving  the  ships  of 
the  Danes  off  his  coast,  and  in  thus  completing 
the  deliverance  of  his  country.  Hastings  him- 
self went  to  France,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  in  some  territories  which 
he  had  previously  conquered,  enjoying,  while  he 
continued  to  live,  and  for  many  ages  afterward, 
a  very  extended  and  very  honorable  fame.  Such 
exploits  as  those  which  he  had  performed  con- 
ferred, in  those  days,  upon  the  hero  who  per- 
formed them,  a  very  high  distinction,  the  luster 
of  which  seems  not  to  have  been  at  all  tarnished 
in  the  opinions  of  mankind  by  any  ideas  of  the 
violence  and  wrong  which  the  commission  of 
such  deeds  involved. 

Alfred's  dominions  were  now  left  once  more 
in  peace,  and  he  himself  resumed  again  hia 
former  avocations.  But  a  very  short  period  of 
his  life,  however,  now  remained.  Hastings  was 
finally  expelled  from  England  about  897.  In 
900  or  901  Alfred  died.  The  interval  was 
spent  in  the  same  earnest  and  devoted  efforts 
to  promote  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  his 
kingdom  that  his  life  had  exhibited  before  the 
war  He  was  engaged  diligently  and  industri- 
ously in  repairing  injuries,  redressing  grievan- 
ces, an^  rectifying  every  thing  that  was  wrong 


A..1).  900.]  THE   CLCSE  OF   LIFE.  241 

idministration  of  justice.  Alfred's  children 

He  exacted  rigid  impartiality  in  all  the  courts 
of  justice ;  he  held  public  servants  of  every  rank 
and  station  to  a  strict  accountability ;  and  in  all 
the  colleges,  and  monasteries,  and  ecclesiastical 
establishments  of  every  kind,  he  corrected  all 
abuses,  and  enforced  a  rigid  discipline,  faithfnJy 
extirpating  from  every  lurking  place  all  sem- 
blance of  immorality  or  vice.  He  did  theso 
things,  too,  with  so  much  kindness  and  consid- 
eration for  all  concerned,  and  was  actuated  in 
all  he  did  so  unquestionably  by  an  honest  and 
sincere  desire  to  fulfill  his  duty  to  his  people 
and  to  God,  that  nobody  opposed  him.  The  good 
considered  him  their  champion,  the  indifferent 
readily  caught  a  portion  of  his  spirit  and  wished 
him  success,  while  the  wicked  were  silenced  if 
they  were  not  changed. 

Alfred's  children  had  grown  up  to  maturity, 
And  seemed  to  inherit,  in  some  degree,  their 
father's  character.  He  had  a  daughter,  named 
^Elhelfleda,  who  was  married  to  a  prince  of 
Mercia,  and  who  was  famed  all  over  England 
for  the  superiority  of  her  mental  powers,  hei 
accomplishments,  and  her  moral  worth.  The 
name  of  his  oldest  son  was  Edward ;  he  was  to 
succeed  Alfred  on  the  throne,  and  it  was  a 
source  now  of  great  satisfaction  to  the  king  tr 
24—16 


24J4  ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D  900 

Alfred'!  last  days.  His  parting  adrlce  to  hU  ion 

find  this  son  emulating  his  virtues,  and  prepar- 
ing for  an  honorable  and  prosperous  reign.  Al- 
fred had  warning,  in  the  progress  of  his  disease 
of  the  approach  of  his  end.  When  he  found 
that  the  time  was  near  at  hand,  he  called  his 
son  Edward  to  his  side,  and  gave  him  these  his 
farewell  counsels,  which  express  in  few  words 
the  principles  and  motives  by  which  his  own 
life  had  been  so  fully  governed. 

"Thou,  my  dear  son,  set  thee  now  beside 
me,  and  I  will  deliver  thee  true  instructions, 
I  fe»jl  that  my  hour  is  coming.  My  strength  is 
gone;  my  countenance  is  wasted  and  pale.  My 
days  are  almost  ended.  We  must  now  part 
J  go  to  another  world,  and  thou  art  to  be  left 
alone  in  the  possession  of  all  that  I  have  thus 
far  held.  I  pray  thee,  my  dear  child,  to  be  a 
father  to  thy  people.  Be  the  children's  father 
and  the  widow's  friend.  Comfort  the  poor,  pro- 
tect and  shelter  the  weak,  and,  with  all  thy 
might,  right  that  which  is  wrong.  And,  my 
son,  govern  thyself  by  law.  Then  stall  the 
Lord  love  thee,  and  God  himself  shall  be  thy 
reward.  Call  thou  upon  him  to  advise  thee  in 
all  thy  need,  and  he  shall  help  thee  to  compass 
all  thy  desires." 


A.D.  900.]  THE   CLOSE  OF   LIFE.  X\: 

Alfred's  death  and  burial  Luting  honor  to  hU  memory 

Alfred  was  fifty-two  years  of  age  when  he 
died.  His  death  was  universally  lamented. 
The  body  was  interred  in  the  great  cathedral 
at  Winchester.  The  kingdom  passed  peace- 
fully and  prosperously  to  his  son,  and  the  ar- 
rangements which  Alfred  had  spent  his  life  in 
framing  and  carrying  into  effect,  soon  began  to 
work  out  their  happy  results.  The  construc- 
tions which  he  founded  stand  to  the  present  day, 
strengthened  and  extended  rather  than  impair 
ed  by  the  hand  of  time ;  and  his  memory,  as 
their  founder,  will  be  honored  as  long  as  any 
remembrance  of  the  past  shall  endure  among 
the  minds  of  men. 


244          ALFRED  THE  GREAT    [A.D.  1013 

The  dory  of  Godwii .          Contentions  between  the  Saxons  and  Dane* 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  SEQUEL. 

FT!  HE  romantic  story  of  Godwin  forms  th« 
•*•  sequel  to  the  history  of  Alfred,  leading  us 
onward,  as  it  does,  toward  the  next  great  era  in 
English  history,  that  of  William  the  Conqueror. 
Although,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  last  chap- 
ter,  the  immediate  effects  of  Alfred's  measures 
was  to  re-establish  peace  and  order  in  his  king- 
iom,  and  although  the  institutions  which  he 
founded  have  continued  to  expand  and  develop 
themselves  down  to  the  present  day,  still  it  must 
not  be  supposed  that  the  power  and  prosperity 
of  his  kingdom  and  of  the  Saxon  dynasty  con- 
tinued wholly  uninterrupted  after  his  death. 
Contentions  and  struggles  between  the  two  great 
races  of  Saxons  and  Danes  continued  for  some 
centuries  to  agitate  the  island.  The  particular 
details  of  these  contentions  have  in  these  days, 
hi  a  great  measure,  lost  their  interest  for  a)l  but 
professed  historical  scholars.  It  is  only  the  his- 
tory of  great  leading  events  and  the  lives  of 
really  extraor  linary  men,  in  the  annals  of  eaily 


A.D.  1013.]       THE    SEQUEL.  245 

William  the  Conqueror.  Godwin'*  parentage 

ages,  which  can  now  attract  the  general  atten- 
tion even  of  cultivated  minds.  The  vast  move- 
ments which  have  occurred  and  are  occurring 
in  the  history  of  mankind  in  the  present  cen- 
tury, throw  every  thing  except  what  is  really 
striking  and  important  in  early  history  into  the 
shade. 

The  era  which  comes  next  in  the  order  of 
time  to  that  of  Alfred  in  the  course  of  English 
history,  as  worthy  to  arrest  general  attention, 
is,  as  we  have  already  said,  that  of  William  the 
Conqueror.  The  life  of  this  sovereign  forms  the 
subject  of  a  separate  volume  of  this  series.  He 
lived  two  centuries  after  Alfred's  day ;  and  al- 
though, for  the  reasons  above  given,  a  full  chron- 
ological narration  of  the  contentions  between  the 
Saxon  and  Danish  lines  of  kings  which  took 
place  during  this  interval  would  be  of  little  in- 
terest or  value,  some  general  knowledge  of  the 
state  of  the  kingdom  at  this  time  is  important, 
and  may  best  be  communicated  in  connection 
with  the  story  of  Godwin. 

Godwin  was  by  birth  a  Saxon  peasant,  of 
Warwickshire.  At  the  time  when  he  arrived 
at  manhood,  and  was  tending  his  father's  flocks 
and  herds  like  other  peasants'  sons,  the  Saxons 
and  the  Danes  were  at  war.  It  seems  that  one 


246          ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  1013 

Ethelred.  HU  marriage.  Canute  the  Dane 

of  Alfred's  descendants,  named  Ethelred,  dis- 
pleased his  people  by  his  misgovernment,  and 
was  obliged  to  retire  from  England.  He  went 
across  the  Channel,  and  married  there  the  sister 
of  a  Norman  chief  named  Richard.  Her  name 
was  Emma.  Ethelred  hoped  by  this  alliance  to 
obtain  Richard's  assistance  in  enabling  him  to 
recover  his  kingdom.  The  Danish  population, 
however,  took  advantage  of  his  absence  to  put 
one  of  their  own  princes  upon  the  throne.  His 
name  was  Canute.  He  figures  in  English  histo- 
ry, accordingly,  among  the  other  English  kings, 
as  Canute  the  Dane,  that  appellation  being  giv- 
en him  to  mark  the  distinction  of  his  origin  in 
respect  to  the  kings  who  preceded  and  followed 
him,  as  they  were  generally  of  the  Saxon  line. 

It  was  this  Canute  of  whom  the  famous  story 
is  told  that,  in  order  to  rebuke  his  flatterers, 
who,  in  extolling  his  grandeur  and  power,  had 
represented  to  him  that  even  the  elements  were 
subservient  to  his  will,  he  took  his  stand  upon 
the  sea-shore  when  the  tide  was  coming  in,  with 
aifi  flatterers  by  his  side,  and  commanded  the 
rising  waves  not  to  approach  his  royal  feet.  He 
Vept  his  sycophantic  courtiers  in  this  ridiculous 
position  until  the  encroaching  waters  drove  them 
away,  and  then  dismissed  them  overwhelmed 


A.D.  1013.]       THE    SEQUEL.  24? 

War  between  Ethelred  and  Canute.  Death  of  Ethelred 

with  cc  nfusion.  The  story  is  told  in  a  thousand 
different  ways,  and  with  a  great  variety  of  dif- 
ferent embellishments,  accoiding  to  the  fancj 
of  the  several  narrators ;  all  that  there  is  now 
any  positive  evidence  for  believing,  however,  is, 
that  probably  some  simple  incident  of  the  kind 
occurred,  out  of  which  the  stories  have  grown. 
Canute  did  not  hold  his  kingdom  in  peace. 
Ethelred  sent  his  son  across  the  Channel  into 
England  to  negotiate  with  the  Anglo-Saxon 
powers  for  his  own  restoration  to  the  throne. 
An  arrangement  was  accordingly  made  with 
them,  and  Ethelred  returned,  and  a  violent  civil 
war  immediately  ensued  between  Ethelred  and 
the  Anglo-Saxons  on  the  one  hand,  and  Catate 
and  the  Danes  on  the  other.  At  length  Ethel- 
red  fell,  and  his  son  Edmund,  who  was  at  the 
time  of  his  death  one  of  his  generals,  succeeded 
him.  Emma  and  his  two  other  sons  had  been 
left  in  Normandy.  Edmund  carried  on  the  war 
against  Canute  with  great  energy.  One  of  hia 
battles  was  fought  in  the  county  of  Warwick, 
in  the  heart  of  England,  where  the  peasant  God- 
wir  lived.  In  this  battle  the  Danes  were  de- 
feated, and  the  discomfited  generals  fled  in  all 
directions  from  the  field  wherever  they  saw  the 
"eadiest  hope  of  concealment  or  safety.  One  of 


248         ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  1013 

Ulf  in  the  wood.  Ilia  bewilderment 

them,  named  Ulf,*  took  a  by-way,  which  led 
him  in  the  direction  of  Godwin's  father's  farm 

Night  came  on,  and  he  lost  his  way  in  a  wood. 
Men,  when  flying  under  such  circumstances 
from  a  field  of  battle,  avoid  always  the  public 
roads,  and  seek  concealment  in  unfrequented 
paths,  where  they  easily  get  bewildered  and  lost. 
Ulf  wandered  about  all  night  in  the  forest,  and 
when  the  morning  came  he  found  himself  ex- 
hausted  with  fatigue,  anxiety,  and  hunger,  cer- 
tain to  perish  unless  he  could  find  some  succor, 
and  yet  dreading  the  danger  of  being  recognized 
RS  a  Danish  fugitive  if  he  were  to  be  discovered 
by  any  of  the  Saxon  inhabitants  of  the  land. 
At  length  he  heard  the  shouts  of  a  peasant  who 
was  coming  along  a  solitary  pathway  through 
the  wood,  driving  a  herd  to  their  pasture.  Ulf 
would  gladly  have  avoided  him  if  he  could  have 
gone  on  without  succor  or  help.  His  plan  was 
to  find  his  way  to  the  Severn,  where  some  Dan- 
ish ships  were  lying,  in  hopes  of  a  refuge  on 
board  of  them.  But  he  was  exhausted  with 
hunger  and  fatigue,  and  utterly  bewildered  and 
lost;  so  he  was  compelled  to  go  forward,  and 
take  the  risk  of  accosting  the  Saxon  stranger. 

He  accordingly  went  up  to  him,  and  asked 

*  Pronounced  Oolf 


A.D.  1013.J        THE  SEQUEL.  249 

01  f  rescued  by  Godwin.  His  offers  to  Godwin. 

him  his  name.  Godwin  told  him  his  name,  and 
the  name  of  his  father,  who  lived,  he  said,  at  a 
little  distance  in  the  wood.  While  he  was  an- 
gwering  the  question,  he  gazed  very  earnestly 
at  the  stranger,  and  then  told  him  that  he  per- 
ceived that  he  was  a  Dane — a  fugitive,  he  sup- 
posed, from  the  battle.  Ulf,  thus  finding  that 
he  could  not  be  concealed,  begged  Godwin  not  to 
betray  him.  He  acknowledged  that  he  was  a 
Dane,  and  that  he  had  made  his  escape  from 
the  battle,  and  he  wished,  he  said,  to  find  his 
way  to  the  Danish  ships  in  the  Severn.  He 
begged  Godwin  to  conduct  him  there.  God- 
win replied  by  saying  that  it  was  unreasonable 
and  absurd  for  a  Dane  to  expect  guidance  and 
protection  from  a  Saxon. 

Ulf  offered  Godwin  all  sorts  of  rewards  if  he 
would  leave  his  herd  and  conduct  him  to  a  place 
of  safety.  Godwin  said  that  the  attempt,  were 
he  to  make  it,  would  endanger  his  own  life 
without  saving  that  of  the  fugitive.  The  coun- 
try, he  said,  was  all  in  arms.  The  peasantry, 
gmboldened  by  the  late  victory  obtained  by  the 
Saxon  army,  were  every  where  rising ;  and  al- 
though it  was  not  far  to  the  Severn,  yet  to  at- 
tempt to  reach  the  river  while  the  country  wa? 
in  such  a  state  of  excitement  would  be  a  des- 


250  ALFREb    THE    GREAT.    [A.D.  1013 

The  gold  ring.  Concealment  in  the  herdsman's  hut 

perate  undertaking.  They  would  almost  cer- 
tainly be  intercepted  ;  and,  if  intercepted,  their 
exasperated  captors  would  show  no  mercy,  God- 
win said,  either  to  him  or  to  his  guide. 

Among  the  other  inducements  which  Ulf 
offered  to  Godwin  was  a  valuable  gold  ring, 
which  he  took  from  his  finger,  and  which,  he 
said,  should  be  his  if  he  would  consent  to  be 
his  guide.  Godwin  took  the  ring  into  his  hand, 
examined  it  with  much  apparent  curiosity,  and 
seemed  to  hesitate.  At  length  he  yielded  ; 
though  he  seems  to  have  been  induced  to  yield, 
not  by  the  value  of  the  offered  gift,  but  by  com- 
passion for  the  urgency  of  the  distress  which 
the  offer  of  it  indicated,  for  he  put  the  ring  back 
into  Ulf 's  hand,  saying  that  he  would  not  take 
any  thing  from  him,  but  he  would  try  to  save 
him. 

Instead,  however,  of  undertaking  the  appar 
ently  hopeless  enterprise  of  conducting  Ulf  to 
the  Severn,  he  took  him  to  his  father's  cottage 
and  concealed  him  there.  During  the  day  they 
formed  plans  for  journeying  together,  not  to  the 
*hips  in  the  Severn,  but  to  the  Danish  camp. 
They  were  to  set  forth  as  soon  as  it  was  dark. 
When  the  evening  came  and  all  was  ready,  and 
they  were  about  to  commence  their  dangerous 


AJD.  1013.J        THE  SEQUEL.  251 

Sodwin's  latW'e  charge  to  Ul£  Olf  e  fidelity. 

lourney,  the  old  peasant,  Godwin's  father,  with 
an  anxious  countenance  and  manner,  gave  Ulf 
this  solemn  charge : 

"  This  is  my  only  son.  In  going  forth  to 
guide  you  under  these  circumstances,  he  puts 
his  life  at  stake,  trusting  to  your  honor.  He 
can  not  return  to  me  again,  as  there  will  be  no 
more  safety  for  him  among  his  own  countrymen 
after  having  once  been  a  guide  for  you.  When, 
therefore,  you  reach  the  camp,  present  my  son 
to  your  king,  and  ask  him  to  receive  him  into 
his  service.  He  can  not  come  again  to  me." 
Ulf  promised  very  earnestly  to  do  all  this  and 
much  more  for  his  protector ;  and  then  bidding 
the  father  farewell,  and  leaving  him  in  his  soli- 
tude, the  two  adventurers  sallied  forth  into  the 
dark  forest  and  went  their  way. 

After  various  adventures,  they  reached  the 
camp  of  the  Danes  in  safety.  Ulf  faithfully 
fulfilled  the  promises  that  he  had  made.  He 
introduced  Godwin  to  the  king,  and  the  king 
was  so  much  pleased  with  the  story  of  his  gen- 
eral's escape,  and  so  impressed  with  the  marks 
of  capacity  and  talent  which  the  young  Saxon 
manifested,  that  he  gave  Godwin  immediately 
a  military  command  in  his  army.  In  fact,  a 
voting  man  who  could  eave  his  home  and  hia 


252          ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A  D.  1013 

Godwin's  rise  to  power.  His  daughter  Edith 

father,  and  abandon  the  cause  of  his  country- 
men forever  under  such  circumstances,  must 
have  had  something  besides  generosity  toward 
a  fugitive  enemy  to  impel  him.  Godwin  was 
soon  found  to  possess  a  large  portion  of  that  pe- 
culiar spirit  which  constitutes  a  soldier.  He 
was  ambitious,  stern,  energetic,  and  always 
successful.  He  rose  rapidly  in  influence  and 
rank,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  during 
which  King  Canute  triumphed  wholly  over  his 
Saxon  enemies,  and  established  his  dominion 
over  almost  the  whole  realm,  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  a  king,  and  ruled,  second  only  tc 
Canute  himself,  over  the  kingdom  of  Wessex 
one  of  the  most  important  divisions  of  Canute'? 
empire.  Here  he  lived  and  reigned  in  peace  and 
prosperity  for  many  years.  He  was  married, 
and  he  had  a  daughter  named  Edith,  who  was 
as  gentle  and  lovely  as  her  father  was  terrible 
and  stern.  They  said  that  Edith  sprung  from 
Godwin  like  a  rose  from  its  stem  of  thorns. 

A  writer  who  lived  in  those  days,  and  record 
ed  the  occurrences  of  the  times,  says  that,  when 
he  was  a  boy,  his  father  was  employed  in  some 
way  in  Godwin's  palace,  and  that  in  going  to 
and  from  school  he  was  often  met  by  Edith, 
who  was  walking,  attended  by  her  maid.  OD 


A.D.  1013.]        THE  SEQU-BL  253 

Edith's  gentleness  and  kindness.  C onquesU  of  Canute. 

such  occasions  Edith  would  stop  him,  he  said, 
and  question  him  about  his  studies,  his  gram- 
mar, his  logic,  and  his  verses;  and  she  would 
^ften  draw  him  into  an  argument  on  those  sub- 
v^j  points  of  disputation  which  attracted  so 
much  attention  in  those  days.  Then  she  would 
commend  him  for  his  attention  and  progress, 
and  order  her  woman  to  make  him  a  present 
of  some  money.  In  a  word,  Edith  was  so  gen- 
tie  and  kind,  and  took  so  cordial  an  interest  in 
whatever  concerned  the  welfare  and  happiness 
of  those  around  her,  that  she  was  universally 
beloved.  She  became  in  the  end,  as  we  shall 
see  in  due  time,  the  English  queen. 

In  the  mean  time,  while  Godwin  was  govern- 
jig,  as  vicegerent,  the  province  which  Canute 
had  assigned  him,  Canute  himself  extended  his 
own  dominion  far  and  wide,  reducing  first  all 
England  under  his  sway,  and  then  extending 
his  conquests  to  the  Continent.  Edmund,  the 
Saxon  kmg,  was  dead.  His  brothers  Edward 
and  Alfred,  the  two  remaining  sons  of  Ethelred, 
were  with  their  mother  in  Normandy.  They, 
of  course,  represented  the  Saxon  line.  The  Sax- 
en  portion  of  Canute's  kingdom  would  of  course 
look  to  them  as  their  future  leaders.  Under 
these  circumstances,  Canute  conceived  the  id«a 


254  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  1013 

Canute  marries  Emma.  Policy  of  this  act 

of  propitiating  the  Saxon  portion  of  the  popula- 
tion, and  combining,  so  far  as  was  possible,  the 
claims  of  the  two  lines,  by  making  the  widow 
Emma  his  own  wife.  He  made  the  proposal  to 
her,  and  she  accepted  it,  pleased  with  the  idea 
of  being  once  more  a  queen.  She  came  to  En- 
gland, and  they  were  married.  In  process  of 
time  they  had  a  son,  who  was  named  Hardi- 
canute,  which  means  Canute  the  strong. 

Canute  now  felt  that  his  kingdom  was  se- 
cure ;  and  he  hoped,  by  making  Hardicanute  his 
heir,  to  perpetuate  the  dominion  in  his  own  fam- 
ily. It  is  true  that  he  had  older  children,  whom 
the  Danes  might  look  upon  as  more  properly  his 
heirs ;  and  Emma  had  also  two  older  children, 
the  sons  of  Ethelred,  in  Normandy.  These  tho 
Saxons  would  be  likely  to  consider  as  the  right- 
ful heirs  to  the  throne.  There  was  danger,  there- 
fore, that  at  his  death  parties  would  again  be 
formed,  and  the  civil  wars  break  out  anew 
Canute  and  Emma  therefore  seem  to  have  act- 
«d  wisely,  and  to  have  done  all  that  the  nature 
of  the  case  admitted  to  prevent  a  renewal  cf 
these  dreadful  struggles,  by  concentrating  theii 
combined  influence  in  favor  of  Hardicanute, 
who,  though  not  absolutely  the  heir  to  either 
line,  still  combined,  in  some  degree,  the  claims 


A..D.1031.]       THE  SEQUEL.  253 

Canute's  gorermnent  Hii  death 

of  both  of  them.  Canute  also  did  all  in  his  povr- 
er  to  propitiate  his  Anglo-Saxon  subjects.  He 
devoted  himself  to  promoting  the  welfare  of  thd 
kingdom  in  every  way.  He  built  towns,  he 
constructed  roads,  he  repaired  and  endowed  the 
churches.  He  became  a  very  zealous  Chris- 
tian, evincing  the  ardor  of  his  piety,  whether 
real  or  pretended,  by  all  the  forms  and  indica- 
tions common  in  those  days.  Finally,  to  crown 
all,  he  went  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome.  He  set 
out  on  this  journey  with  great  pomp  and  pa- 
rade, and  attended  by  a  large  retinue,  and  yet 
still  strictly  like  a  pilgrim.  He  walked,  and 
carried  a  wallet  on  his  back,  and  a  long  pilgrim's 
staff  in  his  hand.  This  pilgrimage,  at  the  time 
when  it  occurred,  filled  the  world  with  its  fame. 
At  length  King  Canute  died,  and  then,  un- 
fortunately, it  proved  that  all  his  seemingly 
wise  precautions  against  the  recurrence  of  civil 
wars  were  taken  in  vain.  It  happened  that 
Hardicanute,  whom  he  had  intended  should  suc- 
ceed him,  was  in  Denmark  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death.  Godwin,  however,  proclaimed 
him  king,  and  attempted  to  establish  his  author- 
ity,  and  to  make  Emma  a  sort  of  regent,  to 
govern  in  his  name  until  he  could  be  brought 
Dome.  The  Danish  chieftains,  on  the  other 


256*  ALFKEU  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  1031 

Harold's  accession.  The  panic. 

hand,  elected  and  proclaimed  one  of  Canute's 
older  sons,  whose  name  was  Harold  ;*  and  they 
succeeded  in  carrying  a  large  part  of  the  conn 
try  in  his  favor.     Godwin  then  summoned  Em 
ma  to  join  him  in  the  west  with  such  forces  as 
she  could  command,  and  both  parties  prepared 
for  war. 

Then  ensued  one  of  those  scenes  of  terror  and 
suffering  which  war,  and  sometimes  the  mere 
lear  of  war,  brings  often  in  its  train.  It  was 
expected  that  the  first  outbreak  of  hostilities 
would  be  in  the  interior  of  England,  near  the 
banks  of  the  Thames,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
the  whole  region  were  seized  with  apprehen- 
sions and  fears,  which  spread  rapidly,  increased 
by  the  influence  of  sympathy,  and  excited  more 
and  more  every  day  by  a  thousand  groundless 
rumors,  until  the  whole  region  was  thrown  into 
a  state  of  uncontrollable  panic  and  confusion. 
The  inhabitants  abandoned  their  dwellings,  and 
fled  in  dismay  into  the  eastern  part  of  the  isl- 
and, to  seek  refuge  among  the  fens  and  marshes 
of  Lincolnshire,  and  of  the  other  counties  around, 
Here,  as  has  been  already  stated  in  a  previous 
chapter  when  describing  the  Abbey  of  Croyland, 
were  a  great  many  monasteries,  and  convents, 

*  Spelled  sometimes  Herald. 


A.D  1037.]        THE  SEQUEL. 

The  fugitives  in  the  Lincolnshire  fens.  Alarm  of  thr 

and  hermitages,  and  other  religious  establish- 
ments, filled  with  monks  and  nuns.  The  wretch- 
ed fugitives  from  the  expected  scene  of  we» 
crowded  into  this  region,  besieging  the  doors  ot 
the  abbe}s  and  monasteries  to  beg  for  shelter 
or  food,  or  protection.  Some  built  huts  among 
the  willow  woods  which  grew  in  the  fens  ;  oth- 
ors  encamped  at  the  road-sides,  or  under  the 
monastery  walls,  wherever  they  could  find  the 
semblance  of  shelter.  They  presented ,  of  course, 
a  piteous  spectacle — men  infirm  with  sickness 
or  age,  or  exhausted  with  anxiety  and  fatigue ; 
children  harassed  and  way-worn  ;  and  helpless 
mothers,  with  still  more  helpless  babes  at  their 
oreasts.  The  monks,  instead  of  being  moved 
to  compassion  by  the  sight  of  these  unhappy 
sufferers,  were  only  alarmed  on  their  own  ac- 
count at  such  an  inundation  of  misery.  They 
feared  that  they  should  be  overwhelmed  them- 
selves. Those  whose  establishments  were  large 
and  strong,  barred  their  doors  against  the  sup- 
pliants, and  the  hermits,  who  lived  alone  in  de- 
tached and  separate  solitudes,  abandoned  their 
osier  huts,  and  fled  themselves  to  seek  some 
place  more  safe  from  such  intrusions. 

And  yet,  after  all,  the  whole  scene  was  only 
*  false  alarm.     Men  acting  in  a  panic  are  al< 

24—17 


258         ALFRED  THE   GREAT.  [A.D.  1037. 

The  country  rettled.  Submission  of  Godwin  and  Elut* 

most  always  running  into  the  ills  which  they 
think  they  shun.  The  war  did  not  break  out  on 
the  banks  of  the  Thames  at  all.  Hardicanute, 
deterred,  perhaps,  by  the  extent  of  the  sup- 
port which  the  claims  of  Harold  were  receiving, 
did  not  venture  to  come  to  England,  and  Emma 
and  Godwin,  and  those  who  would  have  taken 
their  side,  having  no  royal  head  to  lead  them, 
gave  up  their  opposition,  and  acquiesced  in 
Harold's  reign.  The  fugitives  in  the  marshes 
and  fens  returned  to  their  homes ;  the  country 
became  tranquil ;  Godwin  held  his  province  as 
a  sort  of  lieutenant  general  of  Harold's  king- 
dom, and  Emma  herself  joined  his  court  in 
London,  where  she  lived  with  him  ostensibly 
on  very  friendly  terms. 

Still,  her  mind  was  ill  at  ease.  Harold, 
though  the  son  of  her  husband,  was  not  her 
own  son,  and  the  ambitious  spirit  which  led  her 
to  marry  for  her  second  husband  her  first  hus- 
band's rival  and  enemy,  that  she  might  be  a  sec- 
ond time  a  queen,  naturally  made  her  desire 
that  one  of  her  own  offspring,  either  on  the 
Danish  or  the  Saxon  side,  should  inherit  the 
kingdom ;  for  the  reader  must  not  forget  that 
Emma,  besides  being  the  mother  of  Hardica- 
nute by  her  second  husband  Canute,  the  Danish 


A.D.  1037.]        THE  SEQUEL.  259 

Emma' a  family.  Her  plans. 

sovereign,  was  also  the  mother  of  Edward  and 
Alfred  by  her  first  husband  Ethelred,  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  line,  and  that  these  two  sons  were 
in  Normandy  now.  The  family  connection  will 
be  more  apparent  to  the  eye  by  the  following 
scheme : 

Ethelred  the  Saxon.  Emma.  Canute  the  Dane. 

Edward.  Hardicannta. 

Alfred. 

Harold  was  the  son  of  Canute  by  a  former 
marriage.  Emma,  of  course,  felt  no  maternal 
interest  in  him,  and  though  compelled  by  cir- 
cumstances to  acquiesce  for  a  time  in  his  pos- 
session of  the  kingdom,  her  thoughts  were  con- 
tinually with  her  own  sons ;  and  since  the  at- 
tempt to  bring  Hardicanute  to  the  throne  had 
failed,  she  began  to  turn  her  attention  toward 
her  Norman  children. 

After  scheming  for  a  time,  she  wrote  letters 
to  them,  proposing  that  they  should  come  to 
England.  She  represented  to  them  that  the 
Anglo-Saxon  portion  of  the  people  were  ill  at 
ease  under  Harold's  dominion,  and  would  glad- 
l)  embrace  any  opportunity  of  having  a  Saxon 
King.  She  had  no  doubt,  she  said,  that  if  one 
of  them  were  to  appear  in  England  and  claim 
the  throne,  the  people  would  rise  in  mass  to 


260          ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  1037. 


Alfred's  expedition.  Godwin  goe*  to  meet  him, 

support  him,  and  he  would  easily  get  possession 
of  the  realm.  She  invited  them,  therefore,  to 
icpair  secretly  to  England,  to  confer  with  hei 
on  the  subject;  charging  them,  however,  to 
bring  very  few,  if  any,  Norman  attendants  with 
them,  as  the  English  people  were  inclined  te 
be  very  jealous  of  the  influence  of  foreigners. 

The  brothers  were  very  much  elated  at  re- 
ceiving these  tidings ;  so  much  so  that  in  their 
zeal  they  were  disposed  to  push  the  enterprise 
much  faster  than  their  mother  had  intended 
Instead  of  going,  themselves,  quietly  and  se- 
cretly to  confer  with  her  in  London,  they  organ- 
ized an  armed  expedition  of  Norman  soldiers 
The  youngest,  Alfred,  with  an  enthusiasm  char- 
acteristic of  his  years,  took  the  lead  in  these 
measures.  He  undertook  to  conduct  the  expe- 
dition. The  eldest  consented  to  his  making 
the  attempt.  He  landed  at  Dover,  and  began 
his  march  through  the  southern  part  of  the 
country.  Godwin  went  forth  to  meet  him. 
Whether  he  would  join  his  standard  or  meet 
him  as  a  foe,  no  one  could  tell.  Emma  consid- 
ered that  Godwin  was  on  her  side,  though  even 
she  had  not  recommended  an  armed  invasion 
of  the  country 

It  is  very  probable  that  Godwin  himself  wa» 


A  D  1037.]        THE  SEQUEL.  261 

Godwin's  designs.  His  address  to  the  Saxon  chiefs, 

uncertain,  at  first,  what  course  to  pursue,  and 
that  he  intended  to  have  espoused  Prince  Alfred'! 
cause  if  he  had  found  that  it  presented  any  rea- 
sonable prospect  of  success.  Or  he  may  have 
felt  bound  to  serve  Harold  faithfully,  now  that 
he  had  once  given  in  his  adhesion  to  him.  Of 
course,  he  kept  his  thoughts  and  plans  to  him- 
self, leaving  the  world  to  see  only  his  deeds. 
But  if  he  had  ever  entertained  any  design  of 
espousing  Alfred's  cause,  he  abandoned  it  be- 
fore the  time  arrived  for  action.  As  he  advanc- 
ed into  the  southern  part  of  the  island,  he  call- 
ed together  the  leading  Saxon  chiefs  to  hold  a 
council,  and  he  made  an  address  to  them  when 
they  were  convened,  which  had  a  powerful  in- 
fluence on  their  minds  in  preventing  their  de- 
ciding in  favor  of  Alfred.  However  much  they 
might  desire  a  monarch  of  their  own  line,  this, 
he  said,  was  not  the  proper  occasion  for  effect- 
ing their  end.  Alfred  was,  it  was  true,  an  An- 
glo-Saxon by  descent,  but  he  was  a  Norman  by 
birth  and  education.  All  his  friends  and  sup- 
porters were  Normans.  He  had  come  now  into 
the  realm  of  England  with  a  retinue  cf  Nor- 
man followers,  who  would,  if  he  were  success- 
fill,  monopolize  the  honors  and  offices  which  he 
would  have  to  bestow.  He  advised  the  Anglo- 


262          ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D  103, 

Defeat  of  Alfred.  Execution  of  hit  companion*. 

Saxon  chieftains,  therefore,  to  remain  inactive, 
to  take  no  part  in  the  contest,  but  to  wait  foi 
some  other  opportunity  to  re-establish  the  Sax- 
on line  of  kings. 

The  Anglo-Saxon  chieftains  seem  to  have 
considered  this  good  advice.  At  any  rate,  they 
made  no  movement  to  sustain  young  Alfred's 
cause.  Alfred  had  advanced  to  the  town  of 
Guilford.  Here  he  was  surrounded  by  a  force 
which  Harold  had  sent  against  him.  Ther° 
was  no  hope  or  possibility  of  resistance.  It 
fact,  his  enemies  seem  to  have  arrived  at  a  tira 
when  he  did  not  expect  an  attack,  for  they  en- 
tered the  gates  by  a  sudden  onset,  when  At 
fred's  followers  were  scattered  about  the  town> 
at  the  various  houses  to  which  they  had  been 
distributed.  They  made  no  attempt  to  defend 
themselves,  but  were  taken  prisoners  one  by 
one,  wherever  they  were  found.  They  were 
bound  with  cords,  and  carried  away  like  ordi- 
nary criminals. 

Of  Alfred's  ten  principal  Norman  companions, 
nine  were  beheaded.  For  some  reason  or  other 
the  life  of  one  was  spared.  Alfred  himself  was 
charged  with  having  violated  the  peace  of  his 
country,  and  was  condemned  to  lose  his  eyes. 
The  torture  of  this  operation,  and  the  inflanv 


A.D  1037.]        THE  SEQUEL.  263 

Alfred's  cruel  fate.  Banishment  of  Emma. 

mation  which  followed,  destroyed  the  unhappy 
prince's  life.  Neither  Emma  nor  Godwin  did 
any  thing  to  save  him.  It  was  wise  policy,  no 
doubt,  in  Emma  to  disavow  all  connection  with 
her  son's  unfortunate  attempt,  now  that  it  had 
failed ;  and  ambitious  queens  have  to  follow 
the  dictates  of  policy  instead  of  obeying  such 
impulses  as  maternal  love.  She  was,  however, 
secretly  indignant  at  the  cruel  fate  which  her 
son  had  endured,  and  she  considered  Godwin 
as  having  betrayed  him. 

After  this  dreadful  disappointment,  Emma 
was  not  likely  to  make  any  farther  attempts  to 
place  either  of  her  sons  upon  the  throne ;  but 
Harold  seems  to  have  distrusted  her,  for  he  ban- 
ished her  from  the  realm.  She  had  still  her 
Saxon  son  in  Normandy,  Alfred's  brother  Ed- 
ward, and  her  Danish  son  in  Denmark.  She 
went  to  Flanders,  and  there  sent  to  Hardica- 
nute,  urging  him  by  the  most  earnest  impor- 
tunities to  come  to  England  and  assert  hia 
claims  to  the  crown.  He  was  doubly  bound  to 
do  it  now,  she  said,  as  the  blood  of  his  murder- 
ed brother  called  for  retribution,  and  he  could 
have  no  honorable  rest  or  peace  until  he  had 
avenged  it. 

There  was  no  occasion,  however,  for  Hardi- 


264  ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  10401 

AcceMion  of  Hardicanute.  His  indignities  to  Harold's  remain* 

Canute  to  attempt  force  for  the  recovery  of  hia 
kingdom,  for  not  many  months  after  these 
transactions  Harold  died,  and  then  the  country 
seemed  generally  to  acquiesce  in  Hardicanute's 
accession.  The  Anglo-Saxons,  discouraged  per- 
haps by  the  discomfiture  of  their  cause  in  the 
person  of  Alfred,  made  no  attempt  to  rise. 
Hardicanuto  came  accordingly  and  assumed 
the  throne.  But,  though  he  had  not  courage 
and  energy  enough  to  encounter  his  rival  Harold 
during  his  lifetime,  he  made  what  amends  he 
could  by  offering  base  indignities  to  his  body 
after  he  was  laid  in  the  grave.  His  first  public 
act  after  his  accession  was  to  have  the  body 
disinterred,  and,  after  cutting  off  the  head,  he 
threw  the  mangled  remains  into  the  Thames. 
The  Danish  fishermen  in  the  river  found  them, 
and  buried  them  again  in  a  private  sepulcher  in 
London,  with  such  concealed  marks  of  respect 
and  honor  as  it  was  in  their  power  to  bestow. 

Hardicanute  also  instituted  legal  proceedings 
to  inquire  into  the  death  of  Alfred.  He  charged 
•he  Saxons  with  having  betrayed  him,  especial- 
ly those  who  were  rich  enough  to  pay  the  fines . 
by  which,  in  those  days,  it  was  very  customary 
for  criminals  to  atone  for  their  crimes.  Godwin 
himself  was  brought  before  the  tribunal,  and 


A.D.  1040.]        THE  SEQUEL. 


Oodwin'e  trial.  His  costly  presents  to  Hardicanotft 

charged  with  being  accessory  to  Alfred's  death. 
Godwin  positively  asserted  his  innocence,  and 
brought  witnesses  to  prove  that  he  was  entire- 
ly free  from  all  participation  in  the  affair.  He 
took  also  a  much  more  effectual  method  to  se- 
cure an  acquittal,  by  making  to  King  Hardica- 
nute  some  most  magnificent  presents.  One  of 
these  was  a  small  ship,  profusely  enriched  and 
ornamented  with  gold.  It  contained  eighty  sol- 
diers, armed  in  the  Danish  style,  with  weapons 
of  the  most  highly  -finished  and  costly  construc- 
tion. They  each  carried  a  Danish  axe  on  the 
left  shoulder,  and  a  javelin  in  the  right  hand, 
both  richly  gilt,  and  they  had  each  of  them  a 
bracelet  on  his  arm,  containing  six  ounces  of 
solid  gold.  Such  at  least  is  the  story.  The 
presents  might  be  considered  in  the  light  either 
of  a  bribe  to  corrupt  justice,  or  in  that  of  a  fine 
to  satisfy  it.  In  fact,  the  line,  in  those  days, 
between  bribes  to  purchase  acquittal  and  fines 
atoning  for  the  offense  seems  not  to  have  been 
very  accurately  drawn. 

Hardicanute,  when  fairly  established  on  his 
throne,  governed  his  realm  like  a  tyrant.  He  op- 
pressed the  Saxons  especially  without  any  mer- 
oy.  The  effect  of  his  cruelties,  and  those  of  the 
Danes  who  acted  under  him.  was,  however,  not 


266          ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  1041 

Hardicanate'i  tyranny.         HU  death.         Final  expulsion  of  the  Dane* 

to  humble  and  subdue  the  Saxon  spirit,  but  to 
awaken  and  arouse  it.  Plots  and  conspiracies 
began  to  be  formed  against  him,  and  against 
the  whole  Danish  party.  Godwin  himself  oe- 
gan  to  meditate  some  decisive  measures,  when, 
suddenly,  Hardicanute  died.  Godwin  immedi- 
ately took  the  field  at  the  head  of  all  his  forces, 
and  organized  a  general  movement  throughout 
the  kingdom  for  calling  Edward,  Alfred's  broth- 
er, to  the  throne.  This  insurrection  was  tri- 
umphantly successful.  The  Danish  forces  that 
undertook  to  resist  it  were  driven  to  the  north- 
ward. The  leaders  were  slain  or  put  to  flight. 
A  remnant  of  them  escaped  to  the  sea-shore, 
where  they  embarked  on  board  such  vessels  as 
they  could  find,  and  left  England  forever ;  and 
this  was  the  final  termination  of  the  political 
authority  of  the  Danes  over  the  realm  of  En- 
gland— the  consummation  and  end  of  Alfred's 
military  labors  and  schemes,  coming  surely  at 
last,  though  deferred  for  two  centuries  after  his 
decease. 

What  follows  belongs  rather  to  the  history 
of  William  the  Conqueror  than  to  that  of  Al- 
fred, for  Godwin  invited  Edward,  Emma's 
Norman  son,  to  come  and  assume  the  crown ; 
and  his  coming,  together  with  that  of  tho  man? 


A.D.  1041.J        THE  SEQUEL.  267 

Edward  invited  to  the  throne.  His  coronation 

Norman  attendants  that  accompanied  or  follow- 
ed him,  led,  in  the  end,  te  the  Norman  invasion 
and  conquest.  Godwin  might  probably  have 
made  himself  king  if  he  had  chosen  to  do  so. 
His  authority  over  the  whole  island  was  para- 
mount and  supreme.  But,  either  from  a  natu- 
ral sense  of  justice  toward  the  rightful  heir,  or 
from  a  dread  of  the  danger  which  always  at- 
tends the  usurping  of  the  royal  name  by  one 
who  is  not  of  royal  descent,  he  made  no  attempt 
to  take  the  crown.  He  convened  a  great  as- 
sembly of  all  the  estates  of  the  realm,  and  there 
it  was  solemnly  decided  that  Edward  should  be 
invited  to  come  to  England  and  ascend  the 
throne.  A  national  messenger  was  dispatched 
to  Normandy  to  announce  the  invitation. 

It  was  stipulated  in  this  invitation  that  Ed- 
ward should  bring  very  few  Normans  with  him. 
He  came,  accordingly,  in  the  first  instance,  al- 
most unattended.  He  was  received  with  great 
joy,  and  crowned  king  with  splendid  ceremo- 
nies and  great  show,  in  the  ancient  cathedra] 
at  Winchester.  He  felt  under  great  obliga- 
tions to  Godwin,  to  whose  instrumentality  he 
was  wholly  indebted  for  this  sudden  and  moat 
brilliant  change  in  his  fortunes ;  and  partly  im- 
pelled by  this  feeling  of  giatitude,  and  partly 


ALFRED  THE  GRBAT.  [A.D.  1041 

Uward  marries  Edith.  Godwin's  difficulties. 

allured  by  Edith's  extraordinary  charms,  he  pro- 
posed to  make  Edith  his  wife.  Godwin  made 
no  objection.  In  fact,  his  enemies  say  that  ne 
made  a  positive  stipulation  for  this  match  be- 
fore allowing  the  measures  for  Edward's  eleva- 
tion to  the  throne  to  proceed  too  far.  However 
this  may  be,  Godwin  found  himself,  after  Ed 
ward's  accession,  raised  to  the  highest  pitch  of 
honor  and  power.  From  being  a  young  herds- 
man's son,  driving  the  cows  to  pasture  in  a 
wood,  he  had  become  the  prime  minister,  as  it 
were,  of  the  whole  realm,  his  four  sons  being 
great  commanding  generals  in  the  army,  and 
his  daughter  the  queen. 

The  current  of  life  did  not  flow  smoothly  with 
him,  after  all.  We  can  not  here  describe  the 
various  difficulties  in  which  he  became  involved 
with  the  king  on  account  of  the  Normans,  who 
were  continually  coming  over  from  the  Conti- 
nent to  join  Edward's  court,  and  whose  coming 
and  growing  influence  strongly  awakened  the 
jealousy  of  th^  English  people.  Some  narra- 
tion of  these  event."  wiii  more  properly  precede 
the  history  of  William  the  Conqueror.  We  ac- 
cordingly close  this  story  of  Godwin  here  by 
giving  the  circumstances  of  his  death,  as  related 
by  the  historians  of  the  time.  The  readers  of 


A.D  1041.]       THE   SEQUEL.  26* 

Story  of  Godwin's  death.  HI*  protestations  of  mnocenc« 

this  narrative  will,  of  course,  exercise  severally 
their  own  discretion  in  determining  how  fai 
they  will  believe  the  story  to  be  true. 

The  story  is,  that  one  day  he  was  seated  at 
Edward's  table,  at  some  sort  of  entertainment, 
when  one  of  his  attendants,  who  was  bringing 
in  a  goblet  of  wine,  tripped  one  of  his  feet,  but 
contrived  to  save  himself  by  dexterously  bringing 
up  the  other  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cause  some 
amusement  to  the  guests  ;  Godwin  said,  refer- 
ring to  the  man's  feet,  that  one  brother  saved 
the  other.  "  Yes,"  said  the  king,  "  brothers 
have  need  of  brothers'  aid.  Would  to  God  that 
mine  were  still  alive."  In  saying  this  he  di- 
rected a  meaning  glance  toward  Godwin,  which 
seemed  to  insinuate,  as,  in  fact,  the.  king  had 
sometimes  done  before,  that  Godwin  had  had 
some  agency  in  young  Alfred's  death.  Godwin 
was  displeased.  He  reproached  the  king  with 
the  unreasonableness  of  ais  surmises,  and  sol- 
emnly declared  that  he  was  wholly  innocent  of 
all  participation  in  that  crime.  He  imprecated 
the  curse  of  God  upon  his  head  if  this  declara. 
tion  was  not  true,  wishing  that  the  next  mouth- 
ful of  bread  that  he  should  eat  might  choke  him 
if  he  had  contributed  in  any  way,  directly  or 
indirectly,  to  Alfred's  unhappy  end.  So  saying. 


270          ALFRED  THE  GREAT.  [A.D.  1041 

Godwin'*  death.  Hi*  son* 

he  put  the  bread  into  his  mouth,  and  in  the  aot 
of  swallowing  it  he  was  seized  with  a  paroxysm 
of  coughing  and  suffocation.  The  attendants 
hastened  to  his  relief,  the  guests  rose  in  terror 
and  confusion.  Godwin  was  borne  away  by 
two  of  his  sons,  and  laid  on  his  bed  in  convul- 
sions. He  survived  the  immediate  injury,  but 
after  lingering  five  days  he  died. 

Edward  continued  to  reign  in  prosperity  long 
after  this  event,  and  he  employed  the  sons  of 
Godwin  as  long  as  he  lived  in  the  most  honor- 
able stations  of  public  service.  In  fact,  when 
tie  died,  he  named  one  of  them  as  his  successor 
to  the  throne 


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